The 5th Dimension
by Encrypted
Summary: When an elusive plot gone awry results in a young woman from our world becoming trapped in the Titan's, the team must fight to unravel the identity and intentions of the mysterious man behind it all, while ensuring the welfare of their newly acquired house guest.
1. Down the Rabbit hole

I was watching a Teen Titans episode one day, and to be more elaborate, tis the one where Control Freak's remote pulls them all into the T.V. This is where the idea of someone becoming dragged into there world from ours was born.

And at that point, Fanfiction was calling.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole<p>

The Titans had been fighting a good portion of the later evening through a battle, a chaotic scene that has set itself within an old, run-down warehouse. A new villain had appeared that night, threatening to alter the universe with his newly built machine, an instrument built upon it's own platform complete with a short, red metal staircase; five or six steps at the most. The device itself seemed it was mostly comprised of a very large control panel, displaying several sets of buttons, dials and gauges. At the top two large spires rose off high into the air.

Exactly how the device worked, or what the villain's reasoning for it was, was unclear, his glorified ramblings making little sense to anyone but himself. But the Titans had managed to get the gist, it wasn't good, and it needed to be stopped. Though Robin was starting to wonder if the villain may have done it simply because he had the means to do so.

They had come to nicknaming him the Professor because so far, that's all they knew, or at the least he had presented himself as one, donned in a white lab coat and wire frame spectacles to complete the classic stereotypical appearance. Having just fought off the last of the droids that had accompanied the Professor, Beast Boy transformed back into himself, practically panting in exhaustion.

"Dude I'm totally going to need to see a cheero-practor after this."

"It's chiropractor," Raven corrected.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," He retorted.

"Yes, this battle is most exhausting," Starfire offered.

"Yeah man, my cannon doesn't have much power left." Cyborg said as more droids came from out of the shadows, provoking the Titans into a calculated battle stance.

"No time to rest. TITANS GO!" Robin yelled his battle cry, taking down more of the persistent droids as he extended his bo-staff, while Raven droned her mantra.

"Hi-Ya!" Robin yelled as one smashed to pieces. _Smack!_ Another piece of circuitry lay dead on the floor. He swung at another, this particular one acting with more tactic, dodging and leaping up to grab the bottom edge of a balcony, and grasping the railing above with its free hand to swing itself over . Robin followed, mimicking the droids actions till he came face to face with its red, back lit eyes. Robin swung the staff out, the bot evading it by stepping back at the last possible second. Before Robin could attempt another swing the droid repeated his actions, taking himself a level higher to yet another balcony. Robin followed yet again, but the droid was no longer in sight.

Silence drifted through the air around him, his head jerking both left and right. No droid. Robin crept along the side of the rail, trying to block out the sounds coming from the fight his friends dealt with below.

_Tink._

He'd heard it, that small sound where metal met metal. Robin spun, lashing out with the staff, knowing the droid would be behind him.

Nothing.

The staff had cleanly swept through the vacancy the droid should have filled. Robin's eyes instantly narrowed.

_SMACK!_ A kick landed in Robin's face, bending his back over the rail and throwing his body over the side. He watched his staff fall in the opposite direction as he felt the odd sensation of total free fall griping at his senses. Twisting his torso mid air he readied his body for the land and hit with a grunt, a decent amount of pain shooting up his shins. He had landed crouched on the control panel now fractured beneath his feet and shooting out little dancing sparks, each set snapping and popping.

The fall had been short enough, he supposed. Painful? Yes. But the height of the machine had met nicely enough in the middle with the height of the balcony. Robin lifted his head back up to the start of his decent. Two eyes stared back from the dark. No body, just the red eyes leering at him from the dark shadows. It had been cloaked, its body slowly reappearing as the concealment wore off.

Robin's attention drifted back to the console, his staff had jammed straight through the panel at an approximate 55 degree angle, while random sets of buttons had been lit here and there, including the biggest red one. Robin could easily guess what it meant. The big red button was, 95% of the time, bad in movies, and it just so happened that the same rule also generally applied to their everyday lives.

The Professor standing feet from him let out a sort of gasp, but then, an unsettling smile spread across the thin lips of a half shadow hidden face before he hopped the rail to the machine's platform to run from the scene.

Regaining his composure Robin took charge. "Titans get-!"The machine gave off a small explosion, sending Robin jumping from the console. The machine's compromised mechanics began to whirl, and dim lights became dimmer while it brought itself to life. In the middle of its two top spires electricity wound itself into a ball, suddenly growing and dimming any light further yet. Giving out another little explosion, the machine sent out a constant shower of sparks from the battered console. Robin followed the Professor's example by flipping off the rail and running over to his friends, whose expressions suddenly twisted into mixtures of perplexed shock and confusion, because in the center of that large sphere of electricity, a form had become present.

"Dude…what _is_ that?"Beast Boy asked.

"I believe to be, a girl?" Starfire questioned.

"Then she's in trouble!" Robin exclaimed. "Titans move!"

Raven was the first to act, flying towards the girl but soon falling with a grunt and thud. Soon after, swirling black smoke began drifting from Raven's body, lazily wafting through the air and drifting towards the unknown female. While the electricity no longer held any shape, it simply danced between the spires and the female it held captive.

"Raven!" They all cried. Starfire and Beast Boy took a step towards her, a thin green, smoky line pulled from each of their arms and drifted towards the suspended body, one a tone darker than the other.

"Don't," Robin said, pulling them back by their arms. Nobody else dared to step into Raven's parameter, while it seemed Raven didn't experience any discomfort over what was happening to her because she looked nothing more than confused and annoyed at her loss of flight.

Their attention was forced back to the girl when a scream produced itself from her bared teeth the moment the smoke grasped her body, poring into her as if she were a sponge. The Titans watched shocked while her head flung back as her spine went rigid. Raven stood up, swiftly walking back to her friends, and while still suspended in the air, sounds of the female's expressions of pain could continue to be heard.

"What the-" Beast Boy began as smoke was still leeching off from Raven.

"Raven, are you-" She cut Cyborg off.

"We should probably get her down," She said, offering logic as she pulled up the hood that had slipped from her head.

"Cyborg, can you use your cannon to disable it?" Robin asked.

"I don't know. I can try but-"

An ear splitting explosion erupted, cutting Cyborg off. The machine finally having released its tensions, exploded into thousands and various types of shards. The form dropped, the machine no longer having hold of her body, hair sprawling across the floor, unconscious while the world crumbled down around her. The Titans had no choice but to shield their eyes before running for cover.

It was mostly quiet. Stray pieces of debris fell from a partly blasted ceiling. Robin and Raven brought their capes down from their eyes as the others came from hiding. Whilst dusting themselves off, all eyes searched through the debris until a sharp gasp and raspy coughing was heard before ceasing into silence. Some of the rubble to their right shifted and moved.

"There," Said both Starfire and Beast Boy, pointing in her direction.

TTTTTT

Lungs spasmed, choking on dust thick air. Muscles jerked against her will, tingled painfully throughout her body. Somewhere her brain made the connection, she hadn't been breathing. A disturbing notion.

Opening her eyes to slits, her brain assembled an explanation. She was dreaming.

Lucid dreaming, her mind recalled.

Everything seemed to be slowly getting heavier. Her body, her head, whatever was object was lying on top of her. Slowly she shoved it off, resulting in a small amount of comfort before a strange fatigue continued to set over her like a lead blanket.

Could you be tired in a dream? She had never remembered being so before.

TTTTTT

"Dude...Does this means that machine thing actually worked?"

"Maybe," Robin replied. "I'm not entirely sure _that's_ what it was supposed to do."

"Were not entirely sure what it was spose' to do in the first place," Cyborg added as Starfire slowly began walking ahead.

The others followed suit, stopping short five feet of the form nested between bits of building and electronic pieces, except Robin, who continued on until he knelt beside her to check for a pulse, Starfire coming to kneel on the opposite side. When Robin seemed satisfied that there was indeed a pulse Starfire placed a hand on the unknown's shoulder.

"Please, you are conscious?"

"I don't think so, Star."

"Then what is it we do now, friend?"

"We take her back to the tower, I guess. Make sure she's not seriously hurt."

Placing a thoughtful finger to her lips Starfire rose and stood to the side. Robin turned the girl over gently until a glance across the room set his eyes on a particular object, it's shape uniform to a rectangle. Which was odd only to the fact everything else in the immediate area, aside from the bulk of the machine, had been reduced to the size of slivers. Or smaller.

Beast Boy followed Robin's line of sight.

"What is that?" Beast Boy wondered out loud. Walking up to it he flipped it over with his shoe. "It's a suitcase dude. But I don't remember seeing it before. I mean-I mean really? What the heck? How'd a suitcase get here?"

"Perhaps, it belongs to her?" Starfire suggested.

"You don't really think..." Started Cyborg.

"I have no idea, but can you grab it, Beast Boy?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." He did so and stepped back to join his team.

Putting his hands both under her knees and shoulder blades Robin stood, feeling slightly sore, to lift her up. Dust fell from her clothing and hair as if he had just pulled her from the dirt of a grave. She was light. Slightly lighter than he had expected from her size. Her hair was on the darker side, possibly black, it was hard to tell in the darkened area. Robin was just about to leave when the body in his arms twisted and stirred, startling him just enough to give a little jump. "No, don…" A light voice said before her muscles relaxed and her arm fell listlessly towards the ground. He waited just a second for her expression to turn peaceful before motioning the Titans with his head and walking toward what he presumed to be the exit. Or was presumably the exit at one point.

TTTTTT

Gravity was shifting. More strangeness of the dream? She was falling, or being lifted, she couldn't be sure. Her intent had been to demand gravity to stop moving as every shift resulted in discomfort, but realized she didn't know who or what she was trying to command and so let herself succumb to the motion.

Though fatigued her mind briefly retained its presence, hearing someone talking, but unable to grasp what was being said, catching sections of distorted voices and wondered distantly if her ears had suffered a blast effect.

A steady rocking motion matched a pounding in her head.

TTTTTT

Out of the warehouse Robin could see the Tower sitting in the distance atop of its little island.

"Are you sure we should be taking it home with us?" Raven asked, her voice on the edge of sounding snippy.

"Well, she's not an "It", she's a girl," Robin said, slightly amused at Raven and her choice of words. It seemed Raven truly hadn't been affected by what had taken place, or at least her disposition. "And I think we can handle it," He finished. Though truthfully he didn't know what exactly they might have to 'handle'. Other than she was girl, who it may or may not possibly be from another 'dimension'. But after the Terra encounter, Robin resolved he was going to have a firm handle on the situation, whatever it turned out to be.

After a moment of silence and unable to stay quite any longer, Beast Boy started rambling excitingly about what had happened that night and the tofu toppings for tonight's pizza, in which Cyborg readily objected as they reached the two vehicles.

* * *

><p>- Insert Teen Titans theme song here-<p> 


	2. Chapter the Second

Chapter the Second

Robin walked up to the infirmary, its sliding doors granting him passage while his entourage of four followed close behind as he lay the passenger in his arms, down on one of two beds with crisp white sheets. Promptly turning around, Robin set to work with turning on displays and establishing connections, vital screens coming to life while Cyborg woke up the computers. Opening the drawer to the medical cart, also serving as the bedside table, Robin pulled out the cords needed, plugging them into monitors as one would a set of headphones. A pulse oximeter lit up immediately as it was placed over her finger. Finishing with the temperature and brain wave monitors he stepped back, studying their combined work and the results where the remainder of his friends were already waiting.

Heart rate was elevated, pumping at 126 BPM, with the average being 60-100 BPM a resting heart rate should typically reside somewhere in the 70's. Then again her body had just been put through an intense round of shock therapy. For the time being it posed no immeadiate threat.

O2 stats read 90%. It could help explain the elevated heart rate, the average resting between 95-100%, anything below 95% was medically categorized as hypoxemia, or 'Inadequate level of oxygen within the blood.' The heart would beat faster to compensate. It was nothing a bit of time on oxygen probably couldn't fix.

Temperature was at 99.9 Fahrenheit. But over all, nothing to surprising.

The brain waves. It were those which caused Robin's eyebrow to raise a notch. While the expected Delta and Theta waves, induced in deep sleep, where at apparent levels, so were Beta and Alpha, showing her mind to be fully awake, aware and engaged. An unlikely feat, but to top it all off the waves danced in the pattern of a full blown seizure.

After a long scrutinizing glare at the stats, Robin finally caught up to his own brain. "Uh Cyborg, What's is this? I've never seen anything like it before…"

"Man, I don't think it ever _has _happened before."

"Aside from the fact these brain waves shouldn't be so evident…" Robin pointed to the Beta and Alpha. "…She should be convulsing, and I mean pretty badly. Look at these spikes…"

Robin stood to stand by her side, his hands rested on the bed rails, prepared for said convulsion to begin. Staring at her face, the surface gave away nothing to what was happening beneath the calm exterior. He looked back at the screen to find waves weren't quite so erratic. The 'seizure' having been roughly a minute, was still slowing and continued to do so as he watched the waves calm, even Beta and Alpha finding their rightful places.

Robin turned back to their new comer, thoroughly confused. "I don't understand...Nothing happened."

"Friend, this occurrence, it is uncommon in one's health yes?"

"Yeah." He let out a sigh.

Starfire gave a thoughtful look, waiting for a continuation.

"I just don't get it…" Robin mulled over again.

The patient's eyes shot open at that moment, revealing fully dilated pupils. Starfire, who had been standing close alongside Robin, gave a startled _eep_. Very little of the iris was present, giving a dark and ominous atmosphere about her.

"Please, uh, guest… you are conscious now?" Starfire's prodding offered her no response.

"Duuuude, that is seriously creepy. Almost creepier than Raven."

Raven turned to look at him. Beast Boy could not see but feel Raven glare at him from beneath her hood.

"Ahahaha... J-just joking…Heh heh…" Hiding as best he could behind the protection of Cyborg.

"Don't y'all be hid'n behind me. You started it."

"Guys cut it out," Robin said turning his attention back to the newest turn of events. Before he could think of anymore explanations her pupils took a contradictory effect, shrinking to the size of pin heads. Immediately after they had re-dilated her spine arch and her head flew back, at the same moment releasing a sound not unlike that of being kneed in the diaphragm while the bed sheets became twisted in her fingers as her nails dug at the fabric.

"What's going on? " Cyborg asked.

"She's seizing…"

"I know that, I mean… but she shouldn't be, everything's normal!" Cyborg indicated back to the brain monitor.

"Obviously, it's not," Robin stated in a calm manner. But despite his statement, everything read normal according to the computer.

"Creeeeepyyy…" Beast Boy half whispered.

Cyborg gave him a glare all his own.

"What _is_ happening?!" Starfire asked.

Robin shook his head, shoulders shrugging, his eyes wide. Incredulous and at a loss for action, he could only stand by and wait it out. This was something they wasn't prepared for. They had dealt with sprains and the occasional broken bone, sicknesses, ailments, Slade's hallucinogenic dust... But this had taken a new angle. He was even pretty confident they would be able to handle a normal seizure should one present itself. It was in this moment Robin suddenly began to wonder if taking her to hospital would have been a better course of action. She was, all events of the night aside, technically a civilian after all.

Her knee came up slowly only to be thrust back down again, her spine leaning her body off the side. The action almost looked as if it were out of discomfort, but then her face was emotionless. Tense, but emotionless.

A monitor beeped as her heart rate increased further, arms beginning to tremble.

"Dude's, do somthin! We can't just leave her like that!" Beast Boy said, motioning his arm in her direction.

Cyborg turned on him, stressed. "Well, what do suggest? There's nothing to fix! If we give her something it might help, or it might just stop her brain waves completely, there already where there suppose to be!"

"Guy's seriously, Stop it! You're really _not_ helping," Robin re-intervened. "Beast Boy's right we have to do something. The questions just wha-"

As fast as it started it was over. Her body fell to the bed, muscles relaxed, eyes closed, expression softened, like nothing had ever gone wrong. It hadn't been violent but had been freightening.

Robin released a baited breath. "It stopped."

Silence.

"Well, uh…We should probably get a blood sample or something then, right. Run some tests? Cyborg?" Robin asked.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I can do that." He moved to retrieve a temporary injection port from inside the bedside drawer. Sliding the needle through after finding a vein in her hand he secured it with a strip of tape and twisted an empty vial into the port, watching the liquid fill its cavity. When it was finished he gave it another twist and inspected the product, holding it up to the light.

"Well it's not green, or some other weird color." And at this point he wasn't sure he'd be surprised if it was. "I'm going to get this under the scope."

Robin turned to his remaining team mates. "Raven, we need to check and make sure everything's ok with you."

"I'm fine," She protested.

"Raven, were not sure what's going on with her, " He rebutted, casting on arm in the patients direction. "Who knows what it could have done to you."

"Robin, I'm an empath, I'm a healer, I would know if something were wrong."

There was a moment of glaring silence before Robin caved to his unyielding, stoney faced companion, the only one in his group who occasionally had this privilege. "I still think you need to be checked. Just to be safe."

"I promise, I'm fine," She stated.

"Then Beast Boy, why don't you and the girls get some food going. I'm going to stay down here with Cyborg for a bit."

Starfire walked closer. "You are sure Robin? You do not need our assistants?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine. I'll call you if I need you. Promise." He smiled at her, a thoughtful expression which she returned.

"Then come Raven and Beast Boy, I shall prepare for you a delicacy from my home planet!" She was giddy now.

"Oh no you don't!" Beast Boy was fast to interject. "I'm eating something from **my** planet. Tofu!"

The door shut behind them, their friendly bantering still audible.

Robin stared at the stats awhile.

"Yo Robin, take a look at this."

"Hm? Anything other worldly?"

"Well she's human if that's what you mean. But her blood, it's almost as if it's electrified."

"What? Electrified?" Sounding doubtful Robin took a seat in a rolling office chair.

"Here take a look." Cyborg stepped aside for Robin, who lowered his head to the lens.

True to being said, small electric looking ripples ran through.

"Electricity? Really? " He scrunched his brows together, looking back to up to Cyborg.

"Well that's what I thought at first, it behaves that way but I'm not so sure that's what it is. It's pulsating out from within the actual cells. Blood cells, DNA cells, any cell you name it." Cyborg switched the scopes screen to the large monitor on the wall and studied it. "It's almost seems like it's in a process of altering its composition or, morphing…"

"Morphing...Into what?" Robin asked, looking behind him to take a quick glance at the young woman.

"I'm not sure yet. It's almost acting like a miniature electric storm inside the cells, with traces of... Well I'm not to sure. Scanner's are also trying to compare it to this." He pulled a composition on screen to sit next to the sample.

To Robin, the two images on the screen shared little resemblance.

"And that is?" Robin questioned, shrugging his shoulders.

"This…" He paused "Is Raven. Or at least in essence, Raven's form of energy. This has similarity to what's on the slide but, not quite."

Robin pondered, his chin in his hand.

"That's not even the coolest part." Cyborg cut in to Robin's train of thought. "See how it ripple's across then disappears?"

"MmHmmm…" Robin prodded for continuation.

"Then it repeats itself, another one emerges, it's recharging itself within the cell. To any devoted scientist she could be seen as quite a prize. Essentially, an organic, living power source."

"So then…" Robin started. "This could be why her brain waves are like they were? Why she convulsed_ after_ the seizure in her brain?"

"Obviously we don't have all the details, but it's my best guess. Since electricity constricts muscle and it's continuously running through her, it might have just been worse at that point. It's also possible it might have sent a burst of electricity through certain neurons, playing with her brain waves or somethin. We should do a full body scan later to understand better. And watch her closely; if it's what I think happened…" He trailed off, then resumed. "Raven's body is built for it, she was born that way. This girl's isn't. I think it's possible her body's going through a sort of metamorphosis, trying to adjust."He paused for a moment, then continued his thought. "It might end up killing her. With the seizure and all who knows what else could happen."

Robin snapped his head up to Cyborg "_Kill_ her?"

"Yeah man, I mean normal people just aren't suppose to have that much electricity running through there body's. Kinda amazed she's still alive actually."

Robin leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on the desk to muse, at the same moment beeping interrupted them, prompting Cyborg to take a glance at his censors.

"Man, I really need a recharge. All that blasting took a toll on me."

"Yeah, go ahead. Grab something to eat and recharge. I'll stay down here, make sure everything stays fine."

"You sure man? Cause I could hook up down here if you needed me."

"Nah, its fine. I'll see ya in the morning."

"Alright, call me if anything happens. Night."

"Night."

The med room door slid shut.

Robin stood, retrieving both a blanket and saline solution from the cabinet. The blanket was unfolded by holding its corners and letting it unravel to the floor before being flung over her form. The IV took no time at all, the actions were mildly familiar to him and plastic line was soon being twisted into the port in her hand, flushing away the small amount of blood that had remain on the inside of the outer tubing.

He leaned back onto the rails, eye's scanning over her face to analyze.

In comparison to theirs her skin was pale, but neither was it ghostly, simply it was an ivory shade stood apart from the variety of colors the team had to offer, even from Robin's own tanned and olive tone.

Wavy, almost curly hair had fanned around her face, revealing a layer of black beneath a top layer of red.

Robin tilted his chin down into his hand, his brain posing the thought, _Where did you come from?_

Eyelids twitched in tandem with her lips, as if in response.

He stood up straight again, his hand reached over to hit the switch on the florescent light above the bed, plunging the immediate area into darkness.

The rolling chair groaned as he plopped back into it, resting his legs back on top of the desk. As if on cue his brain started work on reviewing the night, analyzing it, everything from the dawn of the battle to the color of her hair, repeatedly until his thoughts began stumbling over one another in fatigue, looking for that missing piece of information.

Robin rubbed his arm absently, felt his eye's drooping as his brain struggled to remain in over drive, the steady sound of the heart rate monitor acting like a binaural beat for his own brain waves, lulling him to sleep.

* * *

><p>What? I don't know, I'm calling it science. Take it for granted. o_-<p> 


	3. Chapter the Third

Ahem.

Just to mention, all of this takes place before Trouble in Tokyo but pretty much after all the episodes, unless I deem otherwise further into the story, which is the pure beauty of FanFiction.

Also, special thanks to:

Avalongirl55 , Lucifer Daemon, SingWithAPassion, and Stargazar1364 for reviewing last chapter. You guys no idea how much you make my day.

* * *

><p>Chapter the Third.<p>

A beeping awoke Robin, finding its way into his dream in the form of a bell tower buried deep within a jungle.

He opened his eyes, slowly realizing it was real.

Rubbing sleep from the eyes behind the mask, he brought his legs down from the desk, aching from having kept them there all night. Morning sunlight poured in from the windows at the far side of the room, fading the closer it got to the door.

He leaned forward, rubbing his neck.

Ah yes, the beeping, suddenly he became aware of the sound once more. Rising his head he scanned the computer. It was once again reminding him that 02 stats where at 90%, though the heart rate had come down to 105. He mentally kicked himself for not putting her on oxygen the night before, wondering briefly how many times during the night it had tried to remind him.

He rose quickly, assembling the accessories needed, then slipped an oxygen mask into place.

A crackle came from the computer, Cyborg's voice reaching through the microphone.

"Yo Robin, you awake?"

Robin walked over and hit the button, opening his end of the com, his voice etched with a certain deepness that came with mornings.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Breakfast will be done in a few, if you want to come up."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'll be there in just a sec."

Shutting off the lights no longer needed and glancing about just for assurance, Robin walked up and through the doors, watching them open as he knew they would.

Seeing as he would rather still be asleep, his eyes drooped while his brain functions were more or less operating in auto pilot mode, leading him down the halls by instinct. But his mind was enticed by the idea of food, his stomach now feeling the full effects of skipping dinner.

He yawned, running a hand through his hair and feeling it had flattened, just a bit, despite the stronghold of hair gel.

As the elevator ascended he could hear the voices of his team before the door even opened, and brought the ghost of a small, content smile to his lips. The Titans had banded together a little over a year now since they first met, and they had bonded surprisingly fast, despite his initial decree he worked alone. They knew each others quirks and habits, annoying or otherwise, their strengths and weaknesses, what they did and didn't like, and watched each others backs in battle. But most importantly, they had inadvertently formed a family each of them had needed.

And with that small smile gracing Robin's lips he stepped off the elevator, and into the direct aim of a flying waffle, his eyes not even having time to widen before it hit him square in the face.

Starfire, realizing he had joined them afford a cheerful good morning through her soft giggling, as Beast Boy ran up to retrieve his breakfast from the feet of his partially stunned leader, who no longer wore a face of contentment, more or less an annoyance having taken its place.

A nervous chuckle came from Beast Boy.

"Heh, sorry dude." He then turned to Cyborg and scowled like a child, pointing a finger. "I'm so going to get you back for that," He hissed. Cyborg's laughing proved him to be the obvious point of the culinary projectile.

"It's not my fault you ducked like a coward. Sorry Robin, Little grass stain here had to be taught a lesson." Saying it he looked at Beast Boy still smiling, and Beast Boy in turn still scowled.

"It's OK," Robin said, in a voice laced with just a bit of sarcasm. "I needed to be woken up."

Over his shock he plopped down in the booth at the table, next to Raven and her tea who gave him a subtle good morning while he returned to his sleepy stooper.

"So," Cyborg started. "How's our mysterious visitor doing?"

And this at once excited Starfire. "Yes! How is our guest doing?"

Noting her eagerness, Robin wondered how she could sound so enthusiastic, after the last person to enter their home had betrayed them all. But it didn't seem to matter, as she continued to give people the benefit of the doubt to spite it all. It was one of the things he loved about her, it almost didn't matter what mistakes you had made, Starfire was always forgiving.

"Stable. Hasn't woken up," He answered, discontinuing the thoughts and propping his head up against his hand, his elbow on the table.

"What lesson exactly where you attempting to teach Beast Boy?" And then he realized something else. "And Beast Boy, what are **you** doing up at 8:30? - A.M." He added.

"I wouldn't **be** up if it weren't for Cyborg. He pulls me out of bed because it's _my_ turn to make breakfast. And then! He wouldn't even let me make it!"

And in which Cyborg butt in. "That's because tofu ain't breakfast."

"It is so! And anyway if you didn't want it then you shouldn't have had **me **make breakfast. I should still be in bed, it isn't noon yet." Said in all seriousness.

This had Cyborg retaliating. "Ha! I can agree to that, you'll never touch my dinner plans again!" And now Robin felt sorry he had even asked, though really, through personal experience he knew he should have guessed what it would bring.

"Oh yeah? Well I-" Beast Boy paused, his head cocked slightly to the side to listen and Robin picked up on his abrupt stop.

"What is it?"

"I thought I… It was like a bang."

"A bang?"

"Yeah, you know… From downstairs." He pointed down, raising his eyebrows to look at Robin expectantly.

Robin readied himself to stand. "You guys stay here and finish making breakfast. I'm sure it was nothing." He slid out of the booth to leave but had Starfire at his arm before he could.

"You do not wish for any company? Perhaps one of us should come with you. As friend Raven has stated more than once, we do not know who or from where this visitor comes."

"Like I said, I'm sure it was nothing. No need to get hyped up, I'll be back in a minute."

She replied with an O and K, slightly disappointed.

TTTTTT

Her mind awoke, already reliving the previous nights dream, though it was fading, becoming less vivid and losing intensity now that her mind had switched conscious states. Just as dreams commonly did.

Sun light stretched across her face and glowed behind her lids, warming the skin of her features. Not ready to engage in the world of the conscious quite yet she simply lay there, enjoying the peacefulness of it, listening to the birds sing through from the outside, seagulls to be precise, and… a sound foreign to the mental picture in her head. Her eyes popped open and immediately squeezed shut against the flare of light to their retinas. Bringing up her hand to shield her eyes she tried again cautiously, with success. The needle imbedded in the back of her hand was the first thing that met her eyes, she stared at it in a daze, reaching up to touch it with careful finger tips.

The beeping pitch of a heart monitor.

Her thoughts swirled, confused as she continued to stare at the IV, listening to the steady beep.

_Hospital... _Her mind whispered.

It wasn't until she took a peek at the monitors did she take notice to the surreal scene that lay out before her.

She sat up somewhat rapidly, surprised to find that her stomach muscles felt as bruised as if they had been punched, several times over. A dull ache stretched across her chest with every breathe.

The cord of the pulse oximeter grabbed a corner of the med cart as she yanked the oxygen mask up and over her head, pulling it over to the ground in an earsplitting clatter that made her wince, effectively yanking the oximeter off her finger for her.

The imbedded port in her hand become first priority and she slid it out of her skin as slowly as possible to minimize the stinging sensation, neglecting its purpose. Fingertips reached up to her forehead, alighting on the color coded brain monitor wires. She yanked them off, sending the sensitive machines into a flat line as they were thrown to the side. Feeling assured she was freed from all contraptions she allowed herself five seconds while adrenaline bled through her veins, staring across a room that was nothing less than a mockup for reality.

TTTTTT

Robin walked down the last hall, somewhat briskly but with restraint. Not until he got close enough to the med room doors could he could hear the flat line pulsing mutely through it. An alarm set off in his own head and after a brief pause ran the rest of the way, now regretting leaving without setting up some sort of precautions. The doors slid open with his urgency upon reaching them, his body jerking to a halt.

TTTTTT

Robin's arms where still in the doorway and tip of her shoe had just touched the ground, her head had jerked up almost faster than the doors had opened. There eyes locked, rendering themselves speechless.

While the monitor had, had him expecting the worst, he was surprised she was up and aware, and now face to face with the conscious girl had no preparation as to what to say. Her expression was numb and emotionless, yet strangely calculating, as her eyes ran him up and down until they settled back upon his own hidden ones as if she were seeing straight through the mask, effectively rendering him uncomfortable.

After long seconds of increasingly awkward visual contact Robin was the first to speak.

"Hi."

She blinked once then parted her lips as if she were going to speak, but failed to do so.

Slowly noticing the piercing sound of the heart monitor growing on his nerves Robin walked calmly around the side of her bed to switch it off, her eyes following him the whole time, her lips parted, smoothly twisting at her torso, an action she managed to carry out in a somewhat eerie manner, and while the monitor ceased to scream Robin realized he was even more uncomfortable with the silence.

"Uh, you're probably very confused right now..."

Seemingly unwilling to contribute, it was being left as a one sided conversation on his part.

His hand came to rest at the back of his neck. "Right. Why don't we go upstairs I can answer your questions and maybe you can answer some of ours."

Upstairs and _Our_ questions? There was an instant intrigued, and after a moment she slipped off the bed to stand. Aches in her muscles left a stiff stance that did not go unnoticed as Robin walked past to take the lead through the doors and into the hall, the girl staying a good distance behind, staring at the long hall with a door built in here and there. Her finger tips reached out to feel the sensation of the peculiar walls, a behavior Robin found questionable as he glanced behind.

A couple turns and another hall later they stood at an open elevator, stepping on as he pushed a button.

From the corners of his view he could just make out her profile as he pondered her behavior in his head. She was very quiet, for his expectations, very reserved. Although he wasn't particularly sure what his expectations had been.

Her hands moved to pull the hood of her black jacket up over her head, partially curly bangs obscuring the rest of her features as the doors to the elevator pushed to the sides, revealing the couch and kitchen among their other house hold things.

All activity seemed to stall as all eyes directed to them. Four pairs of them to be exact. As Robin stepped off the elevator, down the stairs and into the room the guest herself was a few steps behind, suddenly going slightly rigid, halting her steps, no doubt noticing their...differences.

"Guys…" But before Robin could finish Starfire had utterly engulfed the girl in her arms, crushing the air from her lungs as she let out an _oof_, knocking the hood back from her head.

"Oh you have awakened! I am very pleased to meet you. Are you damaged?"

Starfire then proceeded to rattle off so many various questions so fast she couldn't remember even one of them.

"Starfire, I think you need to let her go."

"Oh! I am sorry!" She stated as she released her from her grasp and smiled sheepishly.

Free from crushing arms she inhaled deeply, suppressing a cough as the hood was reinstated back over her head.

Realizing now, as spots cleared from her vision that the one who had prompted 'Starfire' to release her wasn't the boy whom she had already met, but a shorter green one.

"Dude, so like are you an alien from another planet!" Robin gave Beast Boy a disapproving look as he let out a sigh, knowing exactly where this was going.

She shook her head in answer after a quizzical glare, then swiveled her head in both directions for a full glance of the room. Her eyes flitting back to the green one, he looked completely star struck in the most alarming way.

"Time traveler from the future then? Are you going to take us-?"

Her head slowly shook from side to side, her brows scrunching together, looking utterly confused and bewildered at the fact he was asking her questions that would be more suited coming from herself, if not first adapted to suit her needs.

To her surprise he looked completely deflated.

"But-"

A cybernetic male standing behind a stove stepped over and into the conversation.

"Man let it go, She just said she's not an alien, or a time traveler, or anything else you could come up with."

"Like they ever do," Replied Beast Boy in a playfully suspicious tone of voice.

Cyborg held his hand out to her, encouraging her to do the same as she gave it to him tentatively. Robin watched her eyes widen, her brow raise, ever so slightly.

"Well hi there little lady, it's nice to meet you." His handshake was slightly crushing, to say the least, but he seemed genuinely nice. "You'll have to forgive him, he's a little excitable."

"I am not!"

"You are so ya little grass stain."

"Dude, it was just a question!"

And it continued on out from there, tofu somehow managing to make an unforeseen appearance in the conversation.

"Awe man you made me burn the waffles! And the bacon. And eggs!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"I did not! It's you and your cooking skills that-!"

"Guys." The raven haired boy gave them a sort of warning tone.

"Please, friends, perhaps we could go out to do the eating of breakfast?"

"Actually Star, I think that would be a very good idea," Robin agreed. Really he was just hoping to put a stop to the arguments over food once and for all, at best at least until tomorrow. Or lunch.

The outsider looked between them all. The only one who hadn't made some sort of contact with her was a blue cloaked figure sitting at a booth; the kind found in restaurants. A matching dark blue mug sat in front of them, producing steam. In fact, they seemed to have absolutely no interest in the fact that a stranger had invaded their living room. It made them the most curious of all.

Turning back around to their guest Robin noticed she looked a tad devilish with the dust smeared on her clothing and waist length hair.

"Uh, you'll probably want to get cleaned up before we go anywhere. I can show you where."

And as it was she was following Robin once again.

"I'll be back guys. Please, try to stay out of trouble."

Walking down the hall was just about as awkward as the rest of the morning had been so far, the silence somehow deafening. They suddenly stopped at a door that wasn't quite doubled in size but was larger than the rest.

"Well this is the shower."

Neither of them seemed to know quite what to do at that point until he suddenly asked. "Can you wait here, for just a minute?" She gave a ghost of a nod, curious as to why he asked. Disappearing around the bend of the hall he was back in less than the minute he asked for, holding out the black suitcase to her.

"I think this is probably yours."

She could feel her face light into recognition, it was different yes, the peculiar style this place had to offer seemed to sink into its very fibers, claiming it as a part of its world. None the less she could recognize the red lining and other minimal modifications she had made to it. She reached out, eager to accept it.

"Uh, well…You can just come back to the family room when you're done. It's just back down the hall way."' He pointed back with his thumb.

She nodded.

She let him walk away before opening the door to the bathroom, which took her a moment to understand it was censor activated by pressing your hand to a screen. Once inside the door she slid down the wall and bent her head to her knees.

_Last memory?_ A moment of thought. _The last thing..._

Images and sounds burst into her head as she accessed her brain's temporal lobe, the gateway to memories. Crowds of people, a laugh, the face of her smiling friend, She could recall the weight of the suitcase rolling beside her, all swirling horizontally as if she herself were spinning. The spinning abruptly stopped, honing in on an enormous passenger plane sitting outside a panoramic window, ready to be boarded.

Her plane.

Soon the memories blurred, disintegrating into blank space until there was nothing left to remember. A lone pin prick of light invaded the darkness of vacant memory, like the first star to be seen in a vast night sky. It exploded, blinding her mind's eye with a striking, white hot-light. She could almost feel the phantom remnants of fire-like pain creeping down her veins.

Her body jolted, forcing herself to realize she had been painfully pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. She stared at her hands. From there her memories picked up where the 'dream' had began.

Never remembering having a memory quite so intense, it took her a moment to contemplate.

Finally, with a huff of breath she stood from the cold tile floor, lifting the suitcase after her, and plopping it on the sink.

Flipping open the cover to examined the contents of the case, she was more than disappointed to realize her leather bag had not seemed to follow, missing from where it once hung over the pull out handle of the case.

Patting her back pocket she retrieved a black, metal encased Iphone. Relieved, it still seemed to work though the signal read 'No service'.

_Yeah..._ Her thoughts filtered. _I bet no service._

She tossed it among her other things then eyed the tub suspiciously, wondering if she was really about to allow herself a cleansing shower in such a strange situation, in what she'd gathered was the home of some rather strange people.

She debated, tossing the decision back and forth for a good couple minutes before coming to a resolve.

Bathtub handles were turned and clothes dropped to the floor. She pulled up the pin for the shower head, grabbed her shampoo bar from the suitcase and stepped in.

A good 20 minutes passed, reflecting her situation under a rain of water. At one point she thought a tear may have slipped down her face, she had brushed at quickly just in case. Eyes were kept shut as she absorbed the sensation of water her brain was both familiar with and comforted by. Two senses that weren't in compliance with one another, sight and touch. It made her feel almost dizzy as finger tips sensed what she expected as they roamed the wet tile and synthetic rain, while her eyes could not. Standing there for several minutes with them closed, she came close in successfully fooling herself everything could be normal again when she opened them, before she finished shampooing and shut off the water. She wanted to stay there, in the safety of her solitude, but she didn't want them to become irritated with her either, for keeping them waiting.

So she dug out another dark colored outfit, stuffing the Iphone in the back pocket, and gave her long, wavy layered hair a quick shake and a flip before walking back out the door.

* * *

><p>So, the 'bang' Beast Boy heard was the med cart toppling over, I figure he's part animal, he should be able to hear that right? Right.<p> 


	4. Chapter the Fourth

Thank you everyone for reviewing! I have nothing but love for you guys.

Hmmmm, A name huh? Yeah, I suppose I could give her one of those.

* * *

><p>Chapter the Fourth<p>

Pizza for breakfast, it was what restaurant with the little outdoor balcony they were currently sitting had served them. Almost an individual one for each member of the group and their divergent topping preferences. Save respectively for the guest, who had opted to share between the group. Mostly because she had little to no interest in eating.

It seemed to her now that she wasn't the only one who was curious. Several people had been staring at them, exercising no discretion, since hitting the mainland. Whether it was directed at herself or at her company was yet to be specified.

"OK then," Said the leader suddenly, directing his attention to her and jolting her from her wandering thoughts. "I think first we should start with names. I'm Robin, this is Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg." She dipped her head lightly in acknowledgement.

"Please, what is_ your_ name?" Requested Starfire.

There was a heavy pause before Starfire was indulged with an answer. "Rachelle. Wilde." (Pronounced Ruh-shell)

Robin smiled, hearing her voice made him feel as if he had just won a small sort of challenge. "Then it's nice to meet you Rachelle. Are you feeling OK?"

Rachelle eyed him resolutely, a hint of consideration slipping into her passive face. "Not sure quite yet," Her voice replied softly.

"Um, right..."

Robin pondered how he would proceed. Delicately, but as quickly to the point as possible. To his surprise she opened the subject for him, her voice cutting the silence in a flat, quiet tone.

"Why am I here?" The question was short, to the point and directed toward Robin. The other Titans looked at him expectantly, fully willing to abandon the task to him, and looking as if they were ready for a very interesting story.

"Why are you-?" He cut himself off, sitting back in his chair to get comfortable. "To be perfectly honest were not 100% sure ourselves, but I was thinking that maybe if we traded story's we could both come to a better conclusion. So if you could tell us what you remember last, that would be great." He finished with a carefully placed, charming smile.

"I was at an airport, and then I was here," She began. "It's disoriented, distorted," Rachelle concluded, eyes spying from beneath her dark lashes, signifying she had concluded her answer.

"That's it?" Robin asked. The answer had not even begun to satisfy Robin, who craved details.

"You can remember nothing else?" Starfire questioned.

Robin pushed a little harder. "It's kinda vague. If there's anything else…"

"That is it." Her tone, though still on the quiet side, signified firmly as her final answer.

A young adult male sitting opposite of their table had had tuned in with interest, and continued to do so, their drink poised to their lips, but the action forgotten. They caught each others stares a moment before simultaneously resuming their previous activity's. Looking back at the one dubbed the leader, her hood shadowed face awaited his side of the account.

"First I should explain that my team and I act as civilian security," Robin started. "We all have special ability's that aid us in what we do."

_Civilian security. A fancy term for police? There teenagers. My age. _Rachelle thought.

Robin continued. "Last night a man was in possession of a machine believed to be a threat against the city, we don't know his name but it was obvious he has a strong background in science. He said something along the lines of altering our dimension, for the worst I'm sure. That machine, it's where you came from."

Rachelle's left eye brow rose minimally in skepticism.

"Yeah, after Robin broke it," Teased Beast Boy.

The look Robin gave, the young teen either didn't notice or chose to safely ignore.

Robin returned his attentions to Rachelle.

"Kinda vague," She replied after a moment, the faint suggestion of a smug grin tugging at the corner of her lips. She was expecting the leader to be slightly miffed at the reply, until she noticed the concept of a smile on his face. In fact, he looked mildly amused.

"Well, there _is_ more," He continued, that concept of a smile still on his lips. It was then that he gave Rachelle a slightly lighter version of the night in the med bay. They could get into deeper details later.

"Please, what is it like were you journeyed from? Is it the same?" Starfire asked.

Rachelle gave a quiet, very short chuckle and a shake of her head. "No."

"It is different where you are from, please, how so?" A very quizzical look blossomed on the exotic looking females face.

"Your visual characteristics are...Different." Her eyes traveled back and forth between the land scape.

"What exactly do you mean, 'different visual characteristics'?" Robin asked.

"Everything is..." She rubbed a hand over her forehead. "Less detailed."

"Detailed?" Robin asked again.

"It's…" She racked her brain for words that would grasp the concept for him as easily as possible, pulling herself up from her slouched position. "I don't know, Robin," She said, tone becoming slightly exasperated. "Your colors are less vivid, your textures less elaborate..."

_Although, _She added in thought. _your attire, is certainly vivid._

She could tell by his face she was only managing to confuse him further.

"Look, take my word on the matter that you are not going to get it."

"I can try," Robin encouraged.

Rachelle shook her head, her eyes closing briefly. "You have no way of conceiving what it is I'm trying to describe, and_ I_ can't conceive a way to describe it to you."

And while it was true that Robin couldn't even begin to understand or envision just exactly what she meant, it didn't mean he still didn't try to.

His face fell into a frown.

"Uuuuuuh…" Beast Boy toned.

"Oh your world sounds wonderful!" Starfire exclaimed, attracted to the idea of a world more vivid with color and texture.

There was a light shrug of her shoulders. "It has its moments."

Robin then asked her another question. "OK then, do you have any I can answer?"

There were of course, plenty, if only she could sort them out.

"What kind of ability's?" She asked finally as another Man came to reap the benefits of the warm fall morning on the balcony, wearing a brown jacket and a baseball cap.

"Starfire has the ability to form star-bolts accompanied with superior strength as well as the ability to fly. Raven is a telekinetic. Beast Boy can shape-shift into any animal imaginable, Cyborg has enhanced strength, endurance and resilience among other things and I myself am well rounded in the forms of martial arts," He answered immediately, sounding almost proud of his companions.

An awkward silence ensued as she delved back into her own mind to question all that had been said, her face returning to a numb form of expression.

"Do you possess any ability's outside the normal human range?" Starfire asked.

"No." It was a soft answer with a disconnected air. She had her fingers pressed across her lips, the elbow of her arm resting against the arm of the chair while she had slung a leg over her opposing knee. It was the familiar act of deep thinking, but after a moment of watching her ponder the expression suddenly switched, her brows coming together, as if she'd suddenly had a revelation, causing Robin to sit a little straighter.

"Is there something wrong?"

The questions seemed a little like a bad joke but in fact there was something a little more outstanding on her mind, and she had a brief and contemplating pause as she tried to word out how to say the thoughts in her mind. Thoughts that where going much too fast to be collected for words or barely yet even her own use.

"Please don't think about what I'm going to say as or cynical or insulting, or...something. But…" She paused another moment, setting another string of words in motion. "Matter on earth, assuming this is earth, and assuming that wasn't a joke, is always constant, it never gains any nor loses any. When something is burned the matter isn't destroyed, it's simply turned into another form, or so I was taught."

She paused again, bringing her finger tips together and pressing them against her lips, another collection of thoughts."I read in this book once in order for matter to be created its counterpart anti-matter is also created. And if you..."

she pointed towards Beast Boy, the tips of her fingers still pressed together.

"...can turn into any animal, say an elephant, the matter would be greater than your current proportion so then in theory you would have to be creating both matter and anti-matter. The anti-matter would then create annihilation, where the matter and anti-matter make contact and would both be destroyed, total obliteration. Perhaps of your entire city if it were great enough."

Another moment of pause. "Granted the book is science fiction but I did a little reading about particle physics outside the book, it appeared to be... sound. So then I think I would have to consider, if what your telling me, could possibly be legitimate." Another passive stare in Robin's direction.

It didn't help that the situation she had found herself in that morning would make for its own good science fiction. She wasn't even going to mention flying opposed to gravity...and starbolts, she had an idea what those were. Telekinetic abilities, shape shifting, a living bio-android, though she supposed that one could be feasible. It was all comic book lore they were trying to feed her.

Rachelle suddenly realized she couldn't remember the last few seconds. She had delved to far back into her mind, Robins face coming into focus as she pulled herself back out.

Robin was surprised for two reasons. One, it was the longest bout of words he had heard from her yet. And two...Antimatter? Not that he wasn't somewhat familiar with the subject, it was just the very last thing he would have ever expected to enter the conversation.

Robin opened his mouth to speak but then shut it again with a sigh, bringing his brows together. The speculation she had brought to the table was a bit of a stunner, he had never had the idea come to mind, and didn't have an immediate answer for it. Nor was he quite well versed in the subject enough to offer her one.

"Uh, wow," Said Cyborg, purely for the break in silence.

"You mean I'm going to blow up?!" Beast Boy exclaimed directly after.

"You haven't yet," Cyborg quipped. More than slightly surprised the changeling had managed to keep up.

The one with the cloak said nothing, they hadn't yet. Rachelle only knew they were female by the way the cloak outlined their figure.

Sitting still slouched in her chair, Rachelle was still awaiting some kind of response, observing Robin's face, who was still musing over her proposal of anti-matter. Again thoughts took turns, taking a moment to become fascinated by aesthetic aspects of the world and the people it contained. She could explain it to herself only as she had explained to him, that the vibrancy in detail and texture seemed they could only go so far as opposed to what her eyes were accustomed to. It was hard to place, but could perhaps be equated to a digitally painted world.

_Real, but not real._ She mused. _How contradictory._

Vibrations suddenly disturbed both the earth and her thoughts, reverberating ripples through the liquid in her tinted glass. Her vision honed in on the glass, eyes narrowing. It happened again. Her eyes darted back and forth, roaming the area around her in quick succession. Laying her palms down flat against the table she waited for the next tremor, looking between her company with question, but they didn't seem to understand, meeting her sudden odd behavior with questionable looks.

"What's wrong?" Both Robin and Beast Boy asked at the same time.

She remained silent, waiting for the next tremor. It didn't happen.

And then it did.

"That." Adrenaline started a slow seep into her veins. This time it had been strong enough for the entire company of the balcony to feel it.

* * *

><p>So, what I mean by the line 'Digitally painted world', is that it looks like something you would see on Deviantart, by a very skilled artist, but still Photoshop painted none the less. In other words, it does not look like the cartoon for the purposes of this story, but has a more 'realistic' edge to it visually. I suppose if I was well enough a writer, I would have no need to state this.<p>

Cyborg says, Review! You know ya wanna...


	5. Chapter the Fifth

StarGazer1364: I have change the classification, thank you for suggesting one. I hate choosing classification.

Trumane: Thank you for the praise :) Ha ha I've had that happen to me before, I'm sorry I stole your idea. Post it anyways I'm sure it'll be great! I'm glad to see I've manage to keep them team in character, I'm always worried I'll slip up, so thank you.

Guest: Thank you!

Glacier: If I'm correct and earth prime is our earth, then yes, she is from earth prime. The electrical phenomenon will be explained in chapters to come, I've got a bit of researching to do lol, I've been making it up as I go along. What is 'pocket dimension'? You've got me confused there, I am assuming it has something to do with the Teen Titans comics, considering you called him Changeling. I'm glad you find Rachelle to be an interesting character, thank you:)

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><p>Chapter the Fifth: Run Like, Um…Hell?<p>

Not but a few seconds after the last tremor did the source make itself present, or themselves present. Five of them.

From her position she could see them straight on, her back to the door of the restaurant, her upturned brow and vaguely quizzical look sending the titans twisting in their seats for a view.

"Hive five," Robin said with a grimace. Small plumes of smoke rose up in the distance, most likely from explosives and the cause of the tremors.

The group of five came screeching to a stop below, a young bald one spitting out childish versions of profanity.

"Hey! It's those snot-nosed, goodie two shoes Titans!"

"Let's get e'm," The only girl and seemingly leader of the group proclaimed. The items that had previously been so protectively clutched in their arms forgotten and dropped to the ground.

Robin jumped to his feet quickly, his chair scraping against the ground as the others followed. He turned around just long enough to tell her to stay put.

Rachelle didn't even bother to reply as he leapt over the edge to join his fellow team mates, causing her brow's to tilt up.

_Right, 'well rounded martial art skills'. Seeing is believing...  
><em>

She leapt from her own seat to lean over the edge he had just jumped so carefree from, to catch the unfolding action. Something she refused to allow herself to miss after the wild description Robin had given of his team. Mean while, others had begun coming from inside to the balcony to join her side and watch.

A green lion sprung into form from the body of the one she had come to know as Beast Boy, and nothing had annihilated. Green bolts of energy from a gravity defying girl now turned warrior. The Cyborg seemed to have a source of energy himself, in the form of a blue beam. Shadows so black they seemed to be smooth and soft to the touch, did their damage while their beholder made smooth directions for them to follow.

All these things held her attention with a vice, pulling her eyes back from one action to another. And while each performance was remarkable, the battle Robin was engaging in was uniquely impressive. Punches and kicks that never seemed to missed, action movie style moves and flips that could almost be called flight themselves, actions movie stunt doubles still commonly required the help of computer animation to accomplish, while he himself seemed to be the only one not to 'possess abilities outside the normal human range'. At least, it was the impression he had allowed her to be given.

From the corner of her eye she mutely notice the crowd that had gathered pushed themselves back inside while her current mindset paid them no heed and remained transfixed on the miniature battle.

_Where did the cat girl go?_

In answer to her mental question the girl leapt directly in front of her to stand on the ledge, causing Rachelle to reel back from the edge in shock, almost tripping over herself as she did. Looking around she found no one but the two of them.

"Names Jinx. So who are you, new fan-girl or somthin'?"

"I'm predicting you're not."

She scoffed "Quite the opposite actually. Not to fond of their friends either."

Rachelle gave a short hmph. "Thought I detected some animosity," She said, speaking under her breath more than anything.

"So then what's the deal, you guys friends or what, saw you hanging with them." Jinx pointed back at the table with her thumb.

"My business is certainly, not yours," She replied coolly, her eyes beginning to narrow.

While Jinx's face told her it was the opposite answer she wished to be given, Rachelle refused to be intimidated.

Jinx's hands lit in a pink glow. "Fine, have it your way."

One step back, then another, it didn't matter, every inch of distance she put between them, Jinx simply replaced, and there wasn't much room left between them and the opposing edge. She briefly considered calling to the others, but they seemed too focused on their own tasks at hand. Still walking backwards her hands skimmed the table tops, having hopes in hitting something she could use.

Apparently, Jinx grew tired of her game of intimidation, because she released her pink hex directly into her chest.

A grunt a pain. Her rib cage felt momentarily crushed as both the force of the ledge and hex compressed together with her trapped between. She grimaced and slumped to the side, pushing her palm into the ground for support, thankful she had not gone over the side.

"What... the hell? I don't even know you."

"I'm the bad girl, it's what I do," She said in a very 'duh' like voice as she walked to tower over her adversary on the ground.

"Yeah? Well it's reckless. Like I said, you don't know me, for all you know I could drop you where you stand. Not to mention that you_ have_ given me perfect reason to."

"You don't look so tough from down there." Jinx smirked.

Rachelle's eyes narrowed, her voice going low and even. "Try it again," She challenged.

She looked as if she were ready to do just that, their eyes locked for dominance.

"JINX!" The voice belonging to Robin called to the female looming over her. She stopped whatever deed she had been planning to glance over her shoulder before looking back.

"Would love to but I gotta go. We'll have to do this again sometime." She leapt off with fluid movements and a smile.

Singed clothing met her nose, a wave of heat rolled over the skin beneath. She placed her left hand over the area feeling for damage. The skin was still smooth, probably no worse than a sunburn, though her black shirt had been reduced to a good and low, plunging neckline. It was good Jinx had gotten called over, because speaking of reckless, to spite her ire being raised, provoking Jinx to singe her yet again was not the most tactical of choices.

She stood to her feet, braced against the ledge, looking from the corner of her eye at the people watching from where they had retreated inside the restaurant. Moments later the entire balcony shook, rattling items off the tables. She looked over to see the largest of both party's slamming himself into the balcony's support beam, over and over again.

On the third slam the sound of breaking concrete filtered through the ground, followed by the physical break across the floor on the forth. Another good and hard hit had the balcony beginning to crumble literally beneath her feet as the bulk of the outdoor platform began falling towards the ground in a slant. In a sudden flood of sanity she found herself scrambling to the door, which proved difficult at the angle the floor had taken, the bottom of her shoes struggling for the traction they needed. Finally, she pulled herself to stand on the flat ground that jutted out about six inches on the opposite side of the break, the small piece still connected to the wall holding the door, the slanted side moaning against its own weight. She flung the glass door open, ready for the safety that lay promised inside.

The corner of its metal frame collided with the upturned concreted still connected to small amount of flat balcony, allowing her arm through the door and nothing else. She slammed it open again, then again against the concrete, hoping for enough force to shatter either the glass or the concrete itself. Select others joined in from the inside, combining their strength. But while the door wasn't giving, the balcony wasn't waiting. Steal support rods groaned and screamed from within its concrete bindings. She spun and pressed her back against the window watching in horror as several fractures appeared in both the fallen floor and beneath her feet, being disintegrated from within by the warping support rods. Her eyes flit over the situation, realizing as a numbing chill passed through her body that her situation was dire.

The fallen platform collapsed in the middle, folding in on itself, essentially ripping away everything that once belonged to the building. Her body dropped from the view of the window, her brain capturing the moment in slow motion, drawing out the horror of it while her scream pierced the surrounding air until it was cut off from the blunt force of hitting the bottom most half of the remains.

Sharp pain filled the points her bones hit.

Looking up past clouds of dust she found the top half looming over her, still clinging vertically to sparse rods and had trouble understanding why it still sounded like the breaking of the titanic until it slid off the last of them to come hurdling down to kill her by way of compression. She curled in on herself, clenching her teeth.

It crushed upon her, silencing the beginning of a scream with brunt force. The fighting halted and the air seemed to become thick and still as opposing teams took in the gravity of the situation. Within moments Mammoth had committed the act of murder, leaving behind his run of more petty crimes whether he had truly meant to or not.

"Dude," Breathed Beast Boy, while Starfire stifled a horrified sound.

Robin stood, his harsh breathing heaving his chest in and out while he remained frozen. Any moment he would rush over there, just as soon as he retook some control. He began walking slowly, his steps increasing pace as Starfire came to float up beside him.

A golden glow peeked from beneath the mess where her body lay, halting both his and Starfire's advances and growing as seconds ticked by until the mass of stone shattered with bursts of black, much like the machine the night previous as a wave of hot air rolled over Robin. There she lay, not a mess of flesh and blood, and not crushed, but with a knee pulled up to her chest and her arms curled protectively over her head. Strong intakes of air rose and fell within her ribs, her muscles clenched so tightly her body shook with small tremors.

Uncurling slowly she sat up only to receive a head rush. When it cleared her spotted vision made out the one responsible for the damage done making his way in her direction. One single word pounded fluidly through her very being.

_Run._

She did, taking off down a street to the left, her first few steps hindered by pain the adrenaline had not yet covered, Mammoth lumbering after her.

"Wait!" Robin called, ready to take down the street himself but stopped by a familiar pink energy. His back slammed into a wall.

"Mammoth can take care of her, were not done yet."

Mammoth taking care of her was exactly what he was afraid of, there was no time to entertain Jinx.

He called out to Raven, "Take Jinx!" And set down the path they had taken.

They were already gone from sight. It meant she was fast, that was good, she would have to be with any hope of outrunning Mammoths powerful strides. The flight portion of 'fight or flight' probably didn't hurt either. He would have to take direction from his instincts, and pray to God he got there soon enough.

TTTTTT

She didn't think she had run this hard in her life, power driven by pure panic, the strange scenery blending into blurred colors as she dodged between screaming people. She could hear him behind her, feel him, his every step shaking the ground.

Too hard, her body was exerting itself far too long and she had no idea how much longer she would be allowed to persist.

_Run. Don't breath, just run._

Several minutes later they had come to the edge of the city where she could see glimpses of water. As a last minute decision she threw her body into a sharp right, hurtling into a short dark tunnel carved into the wall separating the city limits from the water ways, hoping to gain time by surprising him, and ran straight off the side walk on the other side to vault over a set of large rocks. Her body hit the ground, cowered between two sheltering rocks. She heard him bust through tunnel before it went very suddenly silent.

Listening to the silence that seemed to signify his absence, she peeked through her lashes. A bright orange sun painted the sky with matching pink hues that reflected off the waters only feet in front of her, replacing the morning sun that had been there simply moments before.

**Several Hours Earlier-**

Robin held a winded Mammoth to the ground, having subdued him.

"Where is she!"

Mammoth said nothing, just smiled defiantly as he had the first two times Robin had demanded the answer. He realized it was pointless and pulled out his communicator.

"Raven, I need you here." Moments later she appeared, lifting herself from her black portal.

"I need you to take him."

She nodded, further subduing him with black binds. Robin re-opened his communicator to speak into it.

"I found Mammoth."

"And Rachelle?" Starfire inquired, her voice sounding twinged with worry.

"I think he may have lost her, which means we have too. Starfire, Raven's going to take him in and then I want you both to search the skies while me, Cyborg and Beast Boy take the ground. Go." He shut the lid before any of them could answer. "Raven, try searching for her empathically, see if you can't locate her."

Raven lowered her hood. "I can't."

Robin stalled. "Why not?"

"I don't know, I haven't been able to sense her since she came here, it's like she has mental barriers. Strong ones."

"Is that why you've been so…" He didn't want to say cold. "…Quiet towards her?"

Raven gave a curt nod. "I've been concentrating on getting in all morning, I can't even feel her surface emotions. People don't usually have such strong mental blocks, not unless they have something to hide, even then, I can sense there presence. It's like she doesn't exist."

"You're suspicious."

"I am." She paused a moment. "She has powers."

"I noticed. We'll have to worry about that later," He said mounting his bike, he would have Cyborg explain his theory later. "We have to find her first."

Several hours later they still had failed to locate their missing person.


	6. Chapter the Sixth

Trumane: When I said several hours earlier I did mean back around to the time Mammoth began the chase. So she opens her eyes to find the sun is setting, and then I went back to fill in some of what happened with the Titans. I hope this can clear it up a little. And yes, the theme's explanation is scientific.

Guest: I'm glad to hear Jinx's character worked alright. Thanks.

Stargazer1364: That is what I was trying to achieve, glad I could pull it off!

Glacier: Thank you for answering my question pertaining to pocket dimension. As far as power set goes, you don't understand it yet because not even they understand it yet;) It's coming.

Also, for anybody who might be interested in what Robin and Raven look like in this fic, for your visual purposes, I have drawn a picture of them on Deviantart, and plan to draw everyone in the perhaps-not-so-near future. Typing in 'Robin the fifth dimension' should work, then just click the account and find Raven.

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><p>Chapter the Sixth: Sun Rise, Sun Set.<p>

The sunset. She had no more than blinked, and yet the time of day had shifted into early evening.

I didn't seem possible, just seconds before she had been running for her life. And yet, it was set before her eyes. She rose her head from the ground, brushed the gravel from the skin of her face, and suddenly realized that her lungs no longer felt the burning fatigue they had felt from there over extended workout. she tugged the sleeve of her jacket up her arm, finding bruises had well appeared on points of contact from her fall. She slid the sleeve back down, looking for signs of her assailant, finding none.

The open water lay just inches from her, their lazy waves pushing up against the rocky beach before sinking back beneath the stones. The sun was a brilliant orange, splaying it's vibrant colors across the oceans body as it seemingly rested directly on top of the glassy surface. An ideal storybook setting for would be romantics.

Her body tilted as she stood, threatening to tip as her balance caused sway and her head felt like an anchor, going temporarily blind as the blood rushed from her head, she used the same boulder she had jumped behind as a means to steady herself.

_Skipping dimensions and now time, aren't I special..._

As her vision clear she looked up to the concrete wall she had come through, it stretch to the left and right until it rounded into a bend on either side, truly separating the water from the city as far as she could see, besides the occasional tunnel.

Climbing back over onto the side walk, she peered through the tunnel she had come through, rounding her shoulder around the edge. Nothing but the other side. Breathing seemed too loud for the quiet she was trying to achieve as it echoed through the chasm in the wall, still feeling in danger of a sudden reappearance from her pursuer. It was a relief to step out onto the other side, a clear view from the left to right finding no sign of him, enabling curiosity to come forefront to mind. The city, in all its great expanse lay before her, bathed in golden light to discover and explore.

She picked the street directly in front of the tunnel, glancing at the street sign, heavily abused and graffitied. She managed to make out a name beneath.

Mural st., she decoded through the colorful paint.

There was no room left for doubt in her mind the area was considered the rougher part of the city, streets left cracked and uncared for by construction, broken out windows in buildings that while look abandoned, were no doubt still in use if not for more unethical purposes, claimed in spray paint symbols and making Mural a fitting name for the street. Peeling paint, bars in windows, litter, the skeleton of a car having once been set on fire, and many details that signified the area was still inhabited, but vastly uncared for and left to die by the greater of society.

Though for the moment there was little activity on streets, a loud neon lit bar spilt out strong music from the inside, and a group of men stood across from her on the opposing sidewalk, the probability of shady deals being conducted within the higher percentiles. They even dressed the part of the cliche city thug with hand guns just peeking out from the jackets of their suites, some of which were even pinstriped. They glanced up from their conversation, eying her strangely, perhaps warily as she feigned ignorance to their presence while observing from the corners of her eyes. Not long after, the streets slowly filled as she traveled deeper into the city readying itself for an active nightlife.

Having walked quite a while, she deemed she must have been in the middle of the city, or close to it, certainly out of the less desirable parts in which she had begun. It was nearly dark, tall brightly lit buildings shrouding any hope for a view of her desired destination, while her usually reliable feminine sense of direction was put off by an increasing headache that seemed to cloud simple thinking processes to a discouraging degree.

She would however be lying if she denied that she was partly enjoying the night set loose in the city, the lights, smells, the entrancing atmosphere… The freedom. And while she didn't typically have a great fondness for the majority of the human population, they made the place complete.

She paused to turn herself in every direction, looking for an indication as to which direction to continue travel, now completely swallowed by the crowded population.

"Lost are we?"

She paused, turned around to see if it were she the question had been directed too. A male in a brown jacket stared back at her from his position against the brick wall of a building, holding a cup of coffee. She could smell it.

"No. Sightseeing. But thanks," She mumbled curtly. But the man spoke again.

"Quite a nice little show you put on, entertaining too," The man said, taking a drink from the steaming cup.

"What?" She asked, thinking he must be mistaking her for another.

"Standing up to Jinx, bold, stupid, but mildly entertaining nonetheless."

Her brows came together, warning shots echoing distantly in her head. The dull, questioning sound of 'Huh?' came from her lips.

"I'll admit I didn't have much hope for you that moment the balcony came hurtling down, then again I suspect, neither did you." His lips began forming the hint of an amused, yet unsettling smile. "And here you've come to surprise us both." Another nonchalant drink of coffee.

At that point she wasn't sure what to say, she parted her lips to say something in return, instead only air escaped past their opening. As a cue the man continued on.

"And then there was running through the city for your life, you must have been so relieved to finally loose him. Truly, he is not the brightest creature."

She felt the shake of her head, confused, slightly alarmed.

It hit. The point of his unsettling retelling was to let her know one thing. She had been followed, he was watching her. To sit around for a continuation of the story would be yet another bout of bad judgment, she might not like the ending. Backing away she started taking steps backward, keeping her eyes trained on him as he brought the cup back to his lips, a smile blooming from behind it before she turned to run for the second time that day. From behind she caught him yelling out one last thing.

-ONE HOUR LATER

The structure sitting amidst the gleaming moon-lit waters could have possibly been the most absolutely beautiful thing she had seen to date. She could give her thanks to a mid aged hotdog vendor who had supplied her with directions after an initial gape of surprised. Apparently anyone and everyone who had been in the city more than than 24 hours should know about the famed Titans tower, which he had explained quite teasingly before the sales pitch about selling the city's best and true foot longs began.

But alas, there proved to be one last problem. It required a security code.

Bent down at the box's level her fingers examined its keys, the lamp down the street provided feeble light to see by, prompting her to pull the phone from the back of her dark jeans pocket and engage the use of its flash. If there was a call button she wouldn't know which one it would have been, the numbers and letters having been rubbed and faded off with time, leaving only the brail for the blind. Her hands hovered besides the box briefly before smacking the sides lightly, bumping her forehead to the top rim with closed eyes and letting go of an exasperated groan.

It gave her a whole new impact to the saying 'So close, yet so far'.

"Why must you taunt me?" She whispered to box, as if it could hear her woes.

Her head moved from left to right, remaining pressed against the rim, the pressure against her skull helping to sooth it.

The whole experience was a lot less alarming by now, but also was it a lot less interesting than it had been. In fact, she was simply tired of it at this point, done with it, like a bad high you weren't allowed to come down from.

Many of the lights in the T shaped building where on, an indication they were home. At least they should be, it was just a matter of getting from point A to point B. Shrugging off her black jacket, she readjusted the singed shirt so it wouldn't be quite so revealing. Picking the phone off the code box she examined it briefly, it's metal casing seemed to have taken the brunt of the fall. She wrapped it in the jacket, stuffing it under and between rocks, placing yet more on top of them. Satisfied yet uneasy with its temporary resting place she stuck her foot in the water and shivered as it seeped into her shoe. Many more forceful steps later she had sunk herself mid stomach before she took the plunge and glided somewhat ungracefully into the bay, the water slapping softly against her as she began the swim.

Halfway across she flipped on her back to float and look at the moon for a short break. The sounds of the city wafting in and out as the ripples of water washed up and over her ears. Really it was quite peaceful aside from the underlying paranoia in the back of her mind. She could really start to enjoy it if she didn't have to concentrate on floating rather than falling asleep. Lids closed over tired eyes.

_If I can swim across couldn't anyone? What point is there in having it out here? Building space, solitude?_ She mused, giving her brain something to think about as she resumed a lazier form of swimming, still flipped onto her back.

Having corrected position her feet touched an uneven surface beneath the water, most likely the beginning of the islands foundation as the large rocks of the shore were only a foot or two from her outstretched fingers. When she reached them it was a quick climb before she could finally stand, dripping water onto the grass covered ground.

The building looked so much grander so close to her person. Her head turned up to look at the peak of its height, it seemed to sway as the few clouds in the sky passed by the structure. She shook her head, feeling some amazement at its sheer size.

The island itself was a considerable amount of land. It even had a decent sized path stretched between the tower itself and a wooded dock looking lonely for a boat.

Her feet stepped on the path, gravel crunching beneath her wet shoes. Upon reaching the front door she discovered a door bell.

A door bell, it seemed almost funny built into a structure its size, sitting its personal, secluded little island. The button sunk into the steel wall as she pushed it, only a minute later its large doors slid open to Beast Boy, a half-eaten piece of pizza hanging from his mouth, looking as if it had been stored in the fridge for quite a while.

"Dude! It's you!" He exclaimed taking the pizza from his beaming face.

Beast Boy whipped his communicator from his belt. "Hey Rob!"

"What?" the voice on the other end sounded just a twinge annoyed. Meanwhile she took the chance to begin squeezing some excess water from her tresses and clothing.

"I found her."

"What? Where?" His voice picked up.

"The front door," Beast Boy answered, looking and sounding somewhat triumphant and smug.

"Come up to the common room."

Beast Boy shut the lid. "Come on." He gestured for her to follow him. "I'm glad your back, cause we've been looking for you for like, ever."

When they stepped off the elevator Robin was already there, seated at a rather large computer, its screen filling almost the entire window. He swiveled in his seat when he heard the elevators doors open off the side, walking over to meet them.

"Your wet," He said, though it sounded a bit more inquiring than stating the obvious.

Her arms crossed around her, she shrugged. "Moonlight swim," She stated, drips of water plopping to the floor. "You should try it sometime."

"Beast Boy, can you go get a towel."

"Sure thing dude." He walked away popping the last bit of pizza into his mouth.

"And get the others," He added before Beast Boy had managed to get through the doors.

"Here, sit down," He said while gently guiding her to sit at the booth.

After she was seated Robin went to pull a glass down from the kitchen cabinet and filled it with water from the tap. Walking back over he held out for her to take. She did, placing it directly to her lips and promptly drained the glass without a single breath before it was set down on the table.

"Want more?"

"No. Thanks. I'd like to get my phone, by the tunnel."

"We'll get it for you," He replied.

Her head nodded, accepting his offer.

Robin walked away and she heard the sink turn on, watched him push the handle towards warmer temperatures. Pulling off his gloves to drenched a hand towel under the stream, he walked back over to plop it into her hand. She stared at it, then at him, not understanding is true purpose.

"For your head," He clarified.

"What about it?"

Retrieving the rag from her hand he took her chin into his hand to angle her head properly, then dabbed at a spot above her left eye in gentle, quick strokes where blood had made watery trails down her face.

Her eyes glanced at his hand from their corners. It was a odd sensation, as his fingers gently but firmly pressed into her jawline.

Meanwhile, he hadn't considered the line of sight he would be given so close to her person, which was the shirt, the one which had been given such a dangerous plunge at the neckline. He kept his eyes on the wound.

"Your bleeding," He said, pulling it back to show her the stains, replanting the towel in her hand and stepping back.

"Oh." She was quite for a bit as her fingers roamed the area of torn flesh, drawing them away to find they too had crimson, water color smudges. "That's explains some… looks," She mumbled, recalling some side glances she had received during her tour of the city, and more particularly the boisterous hotdog vendor. She was surprised he hadn't made mention of it.

"I think it might have something to do with how you look." Almost immediately he realized just how wrong a context that could be taken. Her head tilted as it turned up to face him, a questionable expression appearing on her face.

He quickly set to correct himself. "I didn't mean it like that-I just meant different. Not a bad different, just…different. Or you know what, just forget everything I just said."

"You're telling me 'Not to think about elephants'." The corners of her mouth suggested a smile, taking some quiet amusement at his floundering.

"I guess it kind of is." His lips twitching as if he wanted to smile himself when he realized she was letting him off the metaphorical hook.

Really she wasn't offended in the least; because of course, she thought they looked different too. How exactly she looked different to him she had to wonder however, because while she hadn't taken the chance to look in a mirror lately, her hand looked as animated to her as the rest of the people around her.

She squinted, drawing her hand up closer to her face, suddenly very interested.

"What?" He was peering over trying to get a look at whatever had her suddenly so fascinated. Her right hand rose up for him to see and he grabbed it with his.

Odd marks covered her palm, reaching down onto her wrist. Strange impressions, like sun burns having etched thin, uniform patterns beneath the skin. He reached for the other, noting the same impressions. The marks reached down just far enough to touch the tattoo of an elegantly crafted compass rose within the inside of her left wrist.

"Where did these come from?"

She shrugged. "They weren't there earlier. Kind of...burn. Now that I notice. "

He thought back to earlier that day, how he had felt the blast off heat roll off the light, and wondered if that was precisely what there were. Burns. The probability they were starting to see the symptoms and effects of the incident in the warehouse entered his mind. And if there were more to come, it was probably time to sit down and explain the situation in full, tonight.

"I'll be back."

"Mmhmm," She acknowledge quietly, knowing he wasn't really listening for an answer.

Robin bounded up the stairs, straight through the sliding doors leading to Cyborg's room where Robin knew he had been searching the city's cameras. He ran into raven before he'd even had the chance to get half way to his destination.

"You called?" She asked, switching her direction.

"Uh yeah. She's back."

"Beast Boy told me," She said, following Robin to his destination.

TTTTTT

Beast Boy popped his head through the door, towel in hand. "Yo dude!"

"What's up B?"

"That girls back," Beast Boy answered.

"You already told me, like..." He glanced at his arm. "...less than two minutes ago."

"So what are you still doing in here?"

"Just unhooking my systems from the computer. What are you still doing here?"

"Robins hogging the TV, been on the computer forever," Beast Boy complained.

"Yeah so?"

"So I need you to help me get it back!"

"Now's not the best time for T.V BB, Robin's probably going to want to explain everything tonight." He shut down the last screen. "And he'll probably want explanations too."

"Cyborg's right," Robin said, coming to stand in the door way, Raven in tow, and looked between them.

"Where's Starfire?" He asked.

Cyborg answered. "Went out to take another spin around the city for Rachelle. Said she would come home with dinner."

"Which you would have known if you'd been listening dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Oh," Robin said, realizing now as he thought about it that he did recall something along those lines. "When she gets back I want to have a meeting, there are a couple things that need to be discussed."

TTTTTT

The team, minus one, walked through the doors, Robin finding Rachelle's position had not changed, her head swiveling in their direction upon their entry.

"One towel coming up!" Beast Boy said, tossing her the towel football style.

She grab it mid air and hung it by the corner, letting the cream colored terry cloth unravel before wrapping it around herself, instantly warmer. It smelled good, homey.

The doors to the elevator swished open, Starfire floating through, many pizza boxes in hand. "Friends, I am still unable to locate Rachelle and I am beginning to fear- Oh!" She exclaimed, realizing there was sixth person in the room. She flew over.

"I am glad you have returned!" A smile beaming onto her face. "Cyborg and Robin have been using the Computers to do the searching, and Raven has been using the telepathy and-" She stopped, realizing how fast she had begun talking.

She began again, summarizing her speech. "I am glad to see you are unharmed. Mostly," She added, finding the mare on Rachelle's forehead.

For Starfire's sake, Rachelle offered the excited girl a half-hearted smile. "Thanks."

"You are most welcome!" Starfire replied, setting the boxes of pizza onto to the counter, and set to retrieve plates.

"So," Robin began, sliding into the booth opposite of her. "What happened?"


	7. Chapter the Seventh

I'm back, after... Well I'm not sure exactly how long it's been. And I'm afraid to say that it will probably be a regular thing with me. But, I come barring 6,500 words this chapter.

Trumane, Stargazer1364, and Lucifer Daemon: Thank you for the reassurances.

Trumane: I too, am looking forward to this. I predict composing her powers will be fun.

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><p>Chapter the Seventh-<p>

"What happened?" Robin asked.

"To which particular happening are you referring?" She sighed, sounding weary and if Robin had to guess, somewhat uninterested in partaking in the forming discussion.

"Well, all of it. Where were you, what happened to Mammoth, why were you gone for so long? why couldn't we find you?"

Starfire set six plates and water filled glasses at the table, sliding several pizza boxes to the center as the main attraction. "Please, enjoy," She said quickly with a smile.

"Thanks, Star." Robin gave a brief smile in return.

"Mm. I suppose I'll start from the end," Rachelle said, swirling her finger in a lazy clockwise direction as she slouched down comfortably and brought the cloth back to the wound, covering her left eye completely as Starfire floated up over the table, and into place between Rachelle and Robin. Rachelle watched her intently, still unuse to the prospect of defying gravity.

"I don't know why you couldn't find me…" She shrugged. "But, it might have helped if I'd been within the city walls."

Raven floated up to seat herself by Starfire, the boys piling in next to Robin and reaching eagerly for their slices.

"Walls? We have walls?" Beast Boy asked, his face scrunched and question muffled by a mouthful of fresh double cheese pizza.

"Brings us to question two. White walls, by a rocky beach. I ran through a tunnel in the wall, over a boulder and viola, I lost…him." A pause. "And several hours between then and the sunset."

"What? How'd you do that?" Beast Boy asked.

Rachelle removed the cloth, setting it in her lap and pointing a finger at the mare. "I am assuming."

She began again, clearing her throat. "Question two answers three, and four is, Mural street."

"Mural street…?" Starfire repeated, trying to place the location.

"Has the bar with a pi-"

"Pink and blue neon sign," Robin finished for her.

"Yes. That," She said, tipping her head in an acknowledging gesture as he eradicated the need for her to finish her statement.

He cringed "That's a, pretty bad part of town."

Actually, it was one of the worst after a certain point in the day. Robin knew that part, the tunnel by the bar, and of course the name of street, gave it away. A lot of crimes took place there, crimes more designated to the police. Drug rings, alley shoot outs, rapes, murders… offenses with darker undertones their own crime affairs rarely came in contact with. Jump City's own, personal taste of Gotham. The thought of a young woman walking straight through it, alone, and at night, was more than a bit disturbing to Robin. A young woman who was, essentially, under his current care. So it made sense to him that Starfire was unfamiliar with the place inside her own city; and it was certainly something he would never condone her to do. As far as he was aware, he was the only one that had, had the occasional patrol to the area.

"Yes," Rachelle agreed.

Robin continued. "Ok, you got lost, that answers that. What about the balcony? I mean, it fell…and you were…" He trailed off, searching for the right words.

"Mmm," She hummed quietly, her eyes sliding shut, bringing to mind the particular scene he was referring to. "I'd forgot," She said softly.

"You _forgot_?" Robin questioned, finding a hard time imagining that anyone could have forgotten such a pronounced moment in their life.

"I've been distracted," She quipped, bringing her fingers up to rub her eyes, still closed, before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"How did you do it?" Robin asked, regaining track on the original question.

"Do what?" She asked, not bothering to look up.

"Shatter the concrete…survive? How did you do it?" Robin asked, curious for the answer.

"_Me_?" She looked genuinely surprised by his question, her eyes opening and looking past the hand still applying presser at the bridge. "You're the ones who do, that…stuff." She said, removing her hand to make a short gesture, unsure of what to call their peculiar talents.

"Apparently, were not the only ones," Robin stated, making a point to look her in the eyes and waited for her reaction, one which was unsatisfyingly blank.

"I understand where you're taking this," She said finally. "And I'll indulge it, for interest sake. But…" A corner of her mouth pulled into a dry grin for a moment as her head tugged to the side in half a shake, an incredulous act that ended in biting the corner of her lip. She had listened, seen, and felt. But now, she had drawn a necessary line.

"Well, thanks for that. Now, can you tell me how you felt, what you were thinking, anything particular about that moment?"

"Remember, you're indulging me," He stated when he didn't receive an immediate response.

She released her lip to answer. "I didn't want to die. That's what I was thinking."

"Right. I'm…sorry," Robin said, feeling genuinely apologetic he had not been able to stop the incident from occurring.

Hoping to help diffuse the awkward moment having been created, Cyborg decided it was his turn to exchange some dialog, and so cleared his throat. "Well, I may be able to shed some light on that. Robin and I made the discovery last night," He said, addressing the Titans. "But really haven't had a chance to share it with you guys yet."

"What is it you wish to share?" Asked Starfire.

"We took a sample of blood," He began, now addressing Rachelle as well.

Both Cyborg and Robin caught her stealing a glance at her arm from the corner of her eye, perhaps looking for the small puncture.

"…and noticed something very interesting. The cells seemed to have electricity contained within each and every one, higher than what should be found anywhere in the human body. Possibly dangerous in fact. It would pulse through the cells, and would recharge and repeat the process, like a battery. I'm not sure how or from where there recharging. The computer also kept trying to compare its signature to the power Raven uses, but it couldn't quite match it."

Cyborg turned to the guest. "Raven's energy has a very unique signature, it's the only one of its kind found here on earth. Though, there are those few who possess something similar in nature."

"There are more? I mean people...like you." Her tone was surprised, though her face showed little expression.

"Yes. And I think your one of them."

A strange demeanor passed over Rachelle's face, and quickly diffused.

When she said nothing more he continued, reverting back to addressing the group as a whole. "I spent some time tonight studying the sample again. Not only are the pulses more even, uniform and at lower levels, but, it was like the blood had been preserved. It should definitely have started the decomposition process by now, but it hasn't."

The new information instantly drew Robin's interest. "Not at all?"

"Like it's still in her body. It hadn't even been refrigerated."

She blinked. "Why?" She asked, remaining firm behind the line she had drawn, but was curious as to his reasoning.

"There are a lot of answers to questions I don't have, but this is my theory on the whole matter: During your arrival Raven's energy was attracted to the electricity, being drawn to the highest point of activity, which was you at the time," He said, pausing to take a drink to wash away the remnants of the last pizza slice. "I think its been fused into your body, and for whatever reason, has somehow started altering."

"Friend, how is it, it could be fused?"

"I don't have those answers, Star," Cyborg answered.

"While were telling the rest of the story, you should also know you had an…abnormal seizure." Robin, now in the privacy of their own home, laid the final card on the table.

Her head tilted to the side lightly, face subtly inquisitive. "Explain?" Her voice keeping to its flatter tones.

"When a person has a seizure there's a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain-"

"I know."

He began again. "Well, your electrical activity was off the charts, not all seizures have convulsions, but yours should have and it didn't, until after it was over."

The ending statement left another silence, Rachelle's throat shifting as she swallowed, and Robin couldn't help but wonder what it was she was thinking, until Beast Boy could take the same wonderment no longer.

"Dude, how can you be so calm? I mean the first time I changed into an animal, I freaked!"

"I'm…processing." She answered offhandedly, eyes focused on the table at nothing in particular as her arms crossed. If she could have slouched any lower she did.

"Would you mind if I took a quick scan?" Cyborg asked. "For comparison purposes. I can do it right here, it's built into my arm."

Her eyes flicked up and she gave a small shrug, averting her eyes once more. "Have at it," She said quietly. At this point protesting against the request seemed a rather moot action. They had already taken her blood.

Cyborg flipped up the panel on his arm, adjusting the settings before a blue beam emitted from it, reaching across the table.

She gave a small startle, not expecting the physical appearance of a beam. Though she tried to detect a sort of sensation from the light, there was none. The panel beeped, signifying its completed process.

"98.6 degrees, perfect temperature. Good heart rate, blood pressure…. Vitals look just fine, but the electric pulses are still being detected, seem much more stable though, just like the blood sample."

Robin gave him a curt nod in acknowledgement, glancing toward Rachelle and then his team, sharing a silent exchange. Noticing the slices had all but disappeared from there box's, and plates were barren, Robin gathered them up, stacking them neatly.

"I'm just going to clean up a bit."

He gestured for the guy's to let him slide from the booth, figuring cleaning up would give her time to 'process', as she had put it, and stood, walking to the sink and setting them in.

"Slade." The name slipped from her lips, imbedding itself within its target like a dagger to Robin's back.

Something in the sink clattered, the air going thick with silence. Her eyes closed, a sixth sense told her that one word had made her the absolute center of attention.

"Duuude, did she say what just think she said!?" Beast Boy's whispered harshly to Cyborg, eyes wide, hand cupped to side of his face in what was meant to be a discrete manner.

"I heard what you heard," Cyborg returned, mimicking the action with the back of his hand, eye equally wide.

She popped her eye open to find Robin staring at her from his place in front of the sink, anger and surprise rivaling across his half hidden features.

Now that, attracted her attention. The sudden shift in character brought things into an interesting light, all over again.

"Ah," She said, her eyes narrowing as a brow rose. "You know him?" There was the vaguest formation of a smirk upon her lips, one that wouldn't have been noticed had Robin not been so focused on the point of which the name had been uttered.

His mind was reeling, the loathsome title had come from nowhere, derailed any previous conversation or train of thought. Why had she said that?

"Where did you hear that name?" He asked, voice stern and throat tight.

"Uh-oh," Beast Boy whispered, deciphering Robin's new found demeanor. "Here we go again…"

"You got that right," Cyborg supplied back.

"Told me to tell you, Robin, that he says…hello."

He glided over to the opposite side of the booth, sitting down with intent.

"When were you with Slade?"

"If by 'with' you mean intercepted me in the city, then approximately…" She seemed to debate a moment. "An hour ago. Maybe more."

The room remained silent. There where so many things Robin could say, so many questions that now required an immediate answer, and they were all trying to shove their way past Robin's lips at once, incapacitating his ability to speak. Simply put, it was infuriating.

"There's something… very unnerving, about him," She said, as if it were an afterthought.

Robin scoffed with both disgust and sarcasm. "What makes you say that?"

"Smooth tone, calculated dialog, possesses a strange sense of authority." She paused. "Like everything he had to say was part of a game. And he's in control."

"What did he say?" Robin asked, overly intrigued_._

"He was leaning against a building, drinking coffee…"

Slade, nonchalantly drinking coffee, like a normal, non-destructive human being. The image refused to formulate in his head.

"…And he asked if I was lost. When I told him no he entered this little spiel about what a nice little show I had put on, how it was reckless, but 'entertaining nonetheless'. Said he didn't have much hope for me when the balcony broke, but 'here I had come to surprise us both'," She quoted, attempting to inject some of his tone.

"He knew I was running from Mammoth. He knew right where to find me out in that city of yours. And…" She took a drink from her glass, letting the sentence hang. "He wanted me to 'tell Robin, Slade says hello. So…" She set down the glass and stared across the table. "Hello."

She could see the gears working overtime in his head, a heated flush making its way across his face.

"And he was just, walking around downtown? Was he wearing a mask?" Recalling the detail about drinking coffee.

"No," She answered.

A bright spark ignited within Robin, and he was unsure himself whether it were excitement, or resentment stirring to the surface. Presumably it was both, accompanied by all the classic, hostile emotions associated with Slade.

"What did he look like?!"

Robin's exclamation startled her, his words had steadily been growing tenser, as if they were squeezing through his throat and past his teeth. Though she could tell he was trying to keep it under control, keep it from escaping where it seethed beneath the surface. It made an intimidating thought to think what his current temperament may be were it unbridled the way his inflections suggested his emotions desired to be.

She looked to the others, but they seemed just as unsure about their leader's current temperament as she felt, and for the moment unwilling to intervene. Starfire especially, looked concerned with her tense expression, but remained silent.

"Well?!" He demanded, trying very hard to remain patient, but could feel himself losing grip on control.

She frowned at his tone. "You tell me. I don't remember anything other than the sunglasses, a brown jacket and baseball cap and a Starbuck's coffee."

"That's it?!"

"Well sure that…" She taunted sternly, unamused by his tone. "…and the fact he happened to be wearing identical attire to the man sitting behind you at the restaurant. So… " She leaned forward, resting her forearms across the tables surface. "You tell me."

Robin sputtered, looking as if he were about to rise from his seat, his fist instead coming down on the table. "T-that, that was him?!" His demeanor quickly switching away from its angrier tones, to ones of simple shock and utter disbelief.

She nodded, leaning her head down on her hand and continued to observe. "Took me a while to put the two together."

"Whoa," Both Cyborg and Beast Boy intoned together while Starfire released a soft "Oh."

It was as if Slade was taunting him, posing as a civilian and contacting his newly acquired house guest simply so Robin could know how close he had been. He could just barely recall the person, but certainly recalled their presence. So close, barely four feet away. If Slade had anything to do the previous night, Robin would never have guessed. Nothing about last night had suggested it. It had held none of Slade's usual patterns, nor did the Professor come even close to fitting the profile.

"What is it, about this guy?" Rachelle asked.

An idea suddenly came to Robin's mind. "I'll explain it later."

He jumped from his seat and grabbed her wrist on route to the computer, prompting her to rise as she dropped the rag from her lap onto the seat.

"Come here."

She inhaled sharply, alerting him to her discomfort. He wasn't being rough, but his tugging was just enough to aggravate the acquired aches and pains in her shoulder.

"Sorry," he said, releasing his grip and continued to lead her past the couch to the large computer, taking a seat.

"What are you doing?"

"Just a second."

The remaining Titans looked between each other, promptly rising from their seats to rush themselves over, crowding around Robin's seat.

"Rob, man what are ya doin'?" Cyborg asked, reiterating Rachelle's question.

"Just a second. You'll see."

Robin pressed a random key on the keyboard, a much smaller screen than the one that had been the window alighting on the same panel as the keyboard, and prompting him for a password which he gave, fingers flying so fast there was no need to worry one might see. Logged on, he navigated through several programs and pages, clicking a grainy image set that turned into a playable video upon being clicked.

"What is this?" She muttered, nodding her head towards the screen.

"Video footage, from last night."

"You recorded it?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"No," He said, turning to look up at her. "When he turned on the buildings electricity to power the machine, it turned on the old security cameras in the process. They recorded the image and sent the footage to be saved on an external sever."

Robin resumed the digital task, searching through the footage for a specific time.

She gave that a moment of thought. "Why external, not to a tape inside the building?"

"Because it used to be an old Wayne Tech lab, high security." He answered, still searching.

"How did you get into the servers? What is Wayne Tech?"

"Computer skills," He answered, disregarding the last half of the question.

"You mean you hacked it?" A smirked flitting lightly across her lips.

He gave a brief smile. "Something like that."

He clicked a button, video playing briefly before he paused the shot, zooming in to the less than quality image of the Professor.

"Is that him," He asked, anticipation in his voice, because even if the likely hood of a disguise was greater than his wishful thinking, he couldn't rid the hope from his mind.

Rachelle leaned in, hand on the back of the chair and over his shoulder to get a better look. After careful consideration she gave her answer.

"No, he's shorter, I think. And Slade had a much more defined jawline, like yours." She stood up.

Robin's head turned to look up at her, a blank expression on his face, yet at the same time, completely unamused.

She stared at him a moment. "Yes?"

He didn't answer, but turned his face back to the screen, rewinding the video.

"Nothing," He muttered.

She didn't press, but Beast Boy spoke from his seating upon the computer console regardless. "Ah," He scoffed. "He just doesn't like that you said he looks like Slade."

She glanced at him from the corners of her eyes and wondered if that notion could truly be bothering him. "I didn't say you looked like Slade, I said you share a similar jawline," She assured.

"I said it was nothing," He reiterated. Of course it did bother him to a degree, and while his friends would know this, it didn't mean she needed to know that, nor did he particularly want her to.

"Will you play it from the beginning?"

Her voice startled him, he hadn't noticed her lean back down to the screen. He moved the slider ahead thirty seconds from its current position and let it play.

She watched as Robin corrected himself from an unpromising decent, landing hard on the console, his silver staff skewering through the panel. His face angled up, looking at something she was unable to discover on the monitor.

"What were you looking at?"

Robin glanced to his right, her face was scrunched slightly in concentration and she shot him a brief side glance. "The bot that threw me over. It was cloaked." He crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back in the chair for the remaining duration of the clip.

The next thing she knew she was watching him leap from the large device as it rained down bright orange sparks like the 4th of July. A bright flash immersed the screen, the image going transparent as static invaded the image, caused by what Rachelle could only guess was a power surge to the unusual machine.

By the time the screen cleared, a form had taken shape amidst the dancing strings of electricity. A form it did not take her long to realize was herself, her image flickering violently in and out of existence, as if the two worlds were fighting for her very presence.

"Is it just me, cause I don't think that was there before," Beast Boy suddenly said.

Robin shrugged. "The camera might have picked up something we didn't."

A lazy black smoke swirled towards her image as the flickering came to halt, briefly accompanied by two, barely noticeable, shades of green. The video's sound quality was sketchy at its best, but the piercing scream was perfectly audible the moment the smoke's curling tendrils wrapped around her body, and seeped past the barrier of her skin.

Moments later the machine combusted on screen, hurling shrapnel at the lens and cutting the feed with a shattering crack of glass.

Robin learned back in the chair, swiveling it in Rachelle's direction. "And, that's it."

Her face was blank, as if she didn't know what to think.

"That's it…" She repeated, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, then dropped her hand to her arm, feeling for the possibility of any previously un-noted damaged.

"That was electricity?" She asked.

"Yes," Robin confirmed.

She gave him a calculating stare. "I'd think I'd be burnt. Or dead," She stated simply.

"We aren't sure of the voltage it produced, but yeah, either would seem likely. I'm sorry to say it's another question we don't have the answer to at the moment," Cyborg said.

"Ok," She sighed, leaning against the computer panel next to Beast Boy, legs and arms crossing.

"Ok? All that talk about matter and non-matter and weird science-y stuff… And you're just, ok with that?" Beast Boy asked, his face twisted in mild disbelief.

She turned her head to face the emerald boy. "No, not exactly. It's an illogical, implausible series of events, and yet, I can't speak a thing against it because you're standing in front of me about as tangible as flesh and blood can get. Ok is just a place holder for things I will be leaving unsaid."

"Oh, You are required to say nothing, Rachelle," Starfire interjected. "But I will say that everything will be the Ok, and we will do everything we can to safely return you to your point of origin. Will we not, Robin?" She looked to her leader for backup.

"Of course."

"Until then, I believe the expression is, our home is yours." She smiled, her signature Starfire smile.

"Yeah girl," Cyborg joined, spreading his hand out to indicate the tower. "Make yourself at home, we can always use another person to kick BB's butt at video games."

"Waaaait just a minute, we've never even seen her play, who says she can kick my butt?"

"Anyone can, it's not that hard."

"Are you saying I suck at video games?"

"I'm saying you got the lowest scores in Mega Monkey 4 and Turbo Speed 6."

"Duude, you're only 10 points higher than me, and…you cheated!" Beast Boy pointed an accusing finger.

"How can you cheat in a racing game? Either you cross the finish line first or you don't!"

Robin stood, expression flat, placing a hand on either boys chest to push them apart. "Really not the priority right now."

Beast Boy crossed his arms and gave a small huff, quickly popping his tongue out at cyborgs direction once Robin had turned away.

"In the spirit of my home is yours…got any ibuprofen?"

"Ibuprofen?" Robin asked.

"Or acetaminophen, Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin..."

"You're in pain?" He asked.

"Just a…headache."

A small grin broke over Robin's features. "Actually, we have something better than that. Right, Raven?"

The head of the hooded figure tilted up upon her mention, and for the first time the fabric slipped down to her shoulders, revealing a violet accented face.

"I can," Raven spoke. "If you would like me too," She finished, speaking in Rachelle's direction.

"Can what?" She asked, looking unassuredly to Robin's face as he smiled again.

"Raven can heal. And she's very good at it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It would get rid of the headache. I can vouch for that."

Raven stepped forward. "I would be willing to do it, if you wanted."

The team waited as she debated, her head giving small nods as she came to a conclusion.

Raven walked closer, until she had planted herself directly in front of Rachelle's form still leaning against the computer console. Raven watched as Rachelle's eyes traveled up her face until they alighted just above her eye level, spotting the ruby colored gem. Her lips began to part, then closed. Then parted again.

"Is there something I'm supposed to do?"

"Just stay still. You're going to feel warmth, and it will tingle."

Raven placed a hand on either side of Rachelle's head, remaining half an inches distance from making contact. The healing blue glow came forth from her hands, slowly growing in intensity. The Titans watched Rachelle's face tense just before Raven's healing light combusted into a wild intensity they had never before witnessed. Both girls inhaled sharply, their faces twisting into a deep cringe. As few seconds passed small groans of pain came from where they were contained within the lips of both girls, Rachelle's hands clutching the ledge in an iron vice, knuckles turning white as Raven's fingers curled in.

Starfire let out a startled gasp. "Something is terribly wrong!"

"Raven!" Robin called. "Stop!"

"C-can't!" She cringed.

"Ahhh! What are we gonna do!" Beast Boy exclaimed, waving his arms wildly before they gripped either side of his head.

Rachelle's left arm pulled itself from the vice like grip it had obtained on the consoles edge, wrapping her hand around Raven's wrist to pull it away. Black charges of energy caressed in a golden glow formed around the physical contacted she had made, scaling down her arm to the bend of her elbow. It was hard to determine what came first, the small explosion produced between the two or whether Rachelle had successfully managed to pry apart the connection, resulting in the small explosion.

The combustion threw Raven back into Beast Boy, who had been standing just a couple feet away, as Rachelle was slammed back into the console before she allowed herself to slide down its front to the floor.

"Raven! Are you ok?" Beast Boy exclaimed, holding her up beneath her arms, her back pressed against his chest.

"What happened?" Robin asked as Raven pulled herself free from against Beast Boy to stand on her own.

Raven looked into their faces and answered. "Fine." Then looked to the other blast victim. "I don't know what happened. But I couldn't stop."

"You're sure you're ok?" Robin asked again.

"Perfectly." She droned, pulling her hood back over her violet locks.

Upon Raven's assurance Robin turned to kneel besides Starfire who was already tending to the fallen girl.

"Now are _you_ ok?" Robin asked.

Her skin buzzed with the pricks of a thousand needles, saliva flooded her mouth. An indicator her stomach was ready purge whatever contents it contained. She swallowed it down, looking him in the masked eyes.

"More than a tingle," She stated, clearing her throat. "I'll take the Ibuprofen."

Robin smiled lopsidedly, "Yeah, sure thing."

"I do not understand," Starfire intervened as Robin looked to his right. "This has never before occurred when Raven has healed one of us."

"Yeah what gives?" Asked Beast Boy, to anyone who was willing to answer.

"I'm not like you." Came Rachelle's sudden impute. "I'm…extraterrestrial." Using the word to describe herself seemed odd, as she deemed it would rather be fit for her current company.

"Oh, I thought you were gonna say because you can explode balcony to bits and make black, glow-y lightning. But I guess that works too," Said Beast Boy, scratching his head.

"Both Raven and Starfire can be considered 'extraterrestrial'. It still shouldn't have happened," Robin reasoned, re-giving her his attention.

Rachelle pulled herself to her feet, a strange sense of vertigo washing over her senses as a head rush left her temporarily blinded. She placed a temporary hand on the computer to study herself.

"Are you sure you are well?" Starfire fretted. "Perhaps you would like to do the laying down?"

"I'll…accept that offer," Rachelle answered.

"We have some spare rooms, you can stay in one of those," Cyborg offered.

"Yes, come," Starfire said, smiling assuringly as she grabbed Rachelle's hand to tote her through the living room and past the doors entering to the halls. "Cyborg and I shall show you."

"Wait for me!" Beast Boy yelled, running after them. Rachelle glancing back before disappearing behind the double sliding doors.

Raven turned to Robin once the doors had shut, pulling down her hood. "That was a good idea. For the most part," She added.

"Glad you got my hint. Where you able to break through?" Robin asked.

"I wasn't able to get through, until the pain pulled down the walls to her mind, like a distraction. But I'm not so sure she's actively trying to put up those defenses. There just there."

"What did you see?"

"Not much, not enough time. Her mind is a maze of thought processes, confusing, hard to navigate. Most all you analytical thinkers are."

"All 'you'?" He repeated, questioning her usage of the word.

"Yes, you. As in you and her, and few others I've come in contact with. Congratulations Robin," She teased sarcastically, keeping her monotone expression. "You've met your mental match."

"Ha," He said flatly. "Funny."

"I try."

Robin moved on from their brief, side tracking banter. "You said you didn't get much. What did you get?"

"Stress," Raven began. "She's not as calm as she acting. She thinks us interesting, finds you amusing. Nothing significantly useful."

"Amusing?" Robin questioned, his brow slanting up.

"Robin, when I first met you, I also found your choice in attire…amusing, for lack of a better word."

Robin gave a short 'Hmph'.

After a moment Raven started up again. "You know, I would have never thought you would warrant me to enter someone's mind."

"I wouldn't. Not without cause."

Raven waited for him to state what his cause was.

"She's was being reserved, seems secretive, always seems to plan what she's going to say. I just want to make sure she's not a potential threat. You said yourself people with barriers usually have something to hide. She talked to Slade…He…" Robin trailed off, not sure what words he wanted to say. Raven was silent, making no comment.

"This whole situation is strange," He concluded, hand running through his hair and down his neck, discouraged at the lack of knowledge gained.

"And delicate," Raven added as Robin looked to her face. "She's probably scared."

Robin said nothing, considering her words, before turning to her again.

"Are you sure you're ok? It didn't look…pleasant."

"It wasn't, but I'm fine. We were connected, what you saw was more me mirroring her actions."

"We'll I'm glad you're ok. We'll have to be more careful. Like Cyborg said, we don't really understand what it is were dealing with."

Raven nodded, looking towards the door as Robin rose.

TTTTTT

The room the three had led her to was one in a set of six placed down a long hall, three of which were devoid of name plates, the spare included. The other three graced the names of three of the five members, Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy.

"Well," Cyborg said as the door slide open mechanically. "This is it." He flipped on the switch, flooding the room into light.

They stepped through as she surveyed the room. It was quite spacious by her standards, and contained a desk and matching bedside table, a small flat screen television on a modest stand, a closet set into a wall, and a bed, its light grey comforter matching its crisp sheets.

Lacking personality, it was a true spare room.

"We have already placed your belongings within here," Starfire said, and Rachelle glanced to the indicated area, noticing the case beside the door for the first time. She nodded.

"How come I don't get to have a view? Everyone else gets one." Beast Boy suddenly complained, holding his hand out to a curtain covered wall.

"You didn't ask for one," Cyborg simply stated.

"You never asked me if I wanted one."

"Would have been a good idea, your room could use some fresh air," Cyborg quipped, sending Starfire into light giggles.

"Well look," Cyborg started again. "It's been a long day, we'll leave ya be."

"Night dudette," Beast Boy said, backing out of the room after Cyborg as he offered a salute.

Being the warm hearted, loving person she was known for, Starfire walked up, pulling Rachelle into a much less crushing, friendly hug. "I wish you a pleasant evening, Rachelle."

"You…too," Rachelle offered, patting her back once awkwardly, surprised by the embrace.

Starfire pulled back, smiling as she exited through the door.

Once alone Rachelle rummaged through her limited supply of clothing, discarding the damp attire to the floor for something loose, clean and dry. A roomy, medium grey tank over a black bandeau bra to compensate for the low arm and necklines, and a pair of cotton drawstring pants that she thought had once been men's. That was, until she had gotten hold of them from a local goodwill and given them a good soak in a black dye bath. They were her pajama of choice now.

Just as she was pulling the bulk of her hair from beneath the back of her shirt there was a knock at the door. She glided over to it, reaching for the handle, until she realized the door lacked owning one. Her hand slid over, reaching to push a button besides the door instead. It swished open, revealing the masked teen.

"Here." He instantly offered her the object in his outstretched hand. She looked down to the bottle, a generic brand of Ibuprofen.

"Thanks."

Her fingers took the white bottle from him, pressing down and severing the lid from the container, shaking out three small, red pills. She rose her hand up to her mouth.

"Don't you want some water?"

She gave him a glance and half a smile.

"Don't need it," She said before tilting her head back and letting the pills slip from her hand into her mouth, swallowing them dry. She recapped the bottle, sticking it back in his hand.

"Are you sure you're ok? Feeling ok?" Robin reiterated once more.

She had a moment of hesitation. "A little buzzed perhaps."

"Buzzed?"

"Like I've downed a couple shots. Sleep should help," She said, attempting to let him know that fine or not, she had no interest in further pursing it should he get the inclination too. Like perhaps a trip to the med bay she had no interest in seeing again.

But Robin persisted just a little further. "Is there anything else?"

She shook her head slowly, as her arm came up against the door way above her head. "Don't think so. No."

"Alright."

A small bout of silence ensued. And to her relief it seemed he would leave it at that.

"We'll get this figured out," He said suddenly, his face determined. "I promise. All of it."

Rachelle gave a soft exhale and a twitch of her lips at his sudden seriousness.

"Look, Slade…He didn't say anything thing else, did he?" He asked, face flushing as he recounted his previous behavior.

"Like what?" She asked in return, hoping to gain some knowledge of her own.

"I…Don't know," He admitted.

"He didn't."

"Oh. Then uh, good night, I guess."

She nodded.

Robin stepped back further into the hall, watching as her form was swallowed by the shadows of the room and the door slid shut. He walked down the hall past another room with vacancy, past Raven's and Beast Boy's, and then past his own, headed to his office. Tonight would be sleepless.

* * *

><p>Unassuredly. It's not a word. Neither is unsatisfyingly according to the internet dictionary's. But they are now, cause I used them regardless. Call me a trend setter.<p>

So, Slade as the villain. How cliche eh? Or is he...

That said, I know he must have sounded OOC back in the city, or maybe not. I have to say I've never been able pin his character.

Also, because my friend mentioned her confusion, I'll mention Rachelle did mention him back in chapter 4: "What kind of ability's?" She asked, as another Man came to reap the benefits of the warm fall morning on the balcony wearing a brown jacket and a baseball cap.

I love (polite) constructive criticism. So feel free to offer it up. Or just give me a nice review. Either works.


	8. Chapter the Eighth

When I said lengthy updates would probably be a regular thing with me, I meant it.

So, very few words shy of 7,000 words. In fact, it may be. It trumps the last chapter anyways, I never knew how much I actually had to fit in a single stint.

Also, because I forgot to mention last ch, Rachelle's last name has gone to Wilde. The original last name actually. This is very insignificant, really it is, but I want to tell you just in whatever case it pops back up and your not wondering where the hell my head has gone.

* * *

><p>Chapter the eighth<p>

Robin walked into the stilling silence of the common room alone, while not even the sun had risen up high enough to greet him through the large, panoramic window quite yet. He trudged through the kitchen, in between the island counter and the sink until he stood in front of the fridge where he rummaged around in its depleting cavity for food. Settling on a recipe in mind, he pulled the required ingredients out for preparation, then the required tool to carry out the order - a silver frying pan. Cracking the egg into the warming skillet, two pieces of toast were set into the toaster before he leaned back against the counter, hands running up over his face and through his hair, reforming its style to the best of his abilities as the gel's stiff hold had started the process of breaking down.

No one could accuse him of, how Starfire had once put it, "abandoning the human need for sleep", that night. Indeed he had slept, it had simply been slumped in his desk chair. Another practice his friends vocally frowned upon on occasion.

In the beginning, it had started simply as a reviewing of the sample of blood for himself. An occurrence that was indeed strange, but just as Cyborg had portrayed it; untouched by the mortal elements of time and deterioration.

Although truthfully little of his time had been spent pondering over the glass vial of blood, an area of expertise he deemed more wholly suited to Cyborg and his praise-worthy knowledge of biological sciences. No, most of his time and interest had been spent poring over the ware house footage, zooming in and out, adding and adjusting filters, and sharpening pixels to the best of his ability. However between the building's out of date security camera, and its lens distorted by the years of dust, the footage had been disqualified for trace details. The only real thing he'd managed to discover was how the suitcase came to be, making the journey with her masked behind a particular star-burst of light, where her hand had released it upon entrance. Even that had been hard to determine. The end product had been largely disappointing. Neither hidden clues or hints had been uncovered. Not even a retrieved image of the Professor's face satisfactory to Robin's standards, nor the databases facial recognition program. But his mind was locked in determination. The same determination his friends often mistook for obsession. Like Robin had always said, there was always a clue.

The egg in the pan popped, spraying a drop of boiling oil at the bare flesh on his arm. He cringed away, rubbing at the spot before grabbing the toast from their heated slots and sliding the perfectly cooked egg onto a waiting slice. He dropped the pan into the sink and spread his condiments of choice on the opposing slice, flipping it over to form a sandwich he cut diagonally to split the yolk. Satisfied, he grabbed the plate and yesterday's paper, yesterday's events had neglected him to read, making his way to the roof. The sun crept its way across common room floor in wide panels as he left.

Passing through the thresh hold of the door, Robin kept his hand on it as it closed, ensuring its silence. His body stalled upon turning around, finding a figure already resided in his desired seating. Her feminine frame laid horizontally on the tower's raised ledge while the right knee curled up and the left leg hung off the edge, towards ground six stories below. An open book rested spine up across her ribs rising and falling with every intake of breath, hands securing its placement. Eyelids were closed, hair pouring over the side like a flow of lava. He walked to her right, acting on the decision to resume carrying out his breakfast plans regardless of her presence as he took his seat and crossed his legs. Biting into the sandwich he chewed, tasted, swallowed, and bit again when he noticed a small movement to his left. The form's leg lowered, leaning to the right, towards the drop as her lids peeked open.

In one fluid movement Rachelle shot up, inhaling a sharp draw of breath, obviously startled by his presence though she had yet to see him as the book fell off the edge, only to be slapped to the side of the tower by the panicked reflex of her hand. Robin's arm shot across her collarbone and grasped the opposing shoulder to prevent what he foresaw as a terrible accident, her body leaning dangerously forward over the edge.

"Careful," He said as he retracted his arm. "It's a long way down." She didn't reply, but pushed back the hair having fell over her face with a comb of her long nails, pulling the book back up to safety and crossed her legs upon the ledge.

"I didn't mean to wake you. Actually, I was trying not to," Robin apologized.

"I was on the fringes of a dream. I could hear you," She stated, voice groggy and low with sleep. "I just…didn't expect you."

"What'd you dream about?" Robin asked, beginning the social ritual of small talk as he took another bite.

"You. And a bunch of stupid, nonsensical imagery," She said, looking down to flip through the book's pages to reinstate her place, finding the bookmark must have periled to the fall. She peeked over the side.

He stopped chewing to speak. "Me?"

"And a variety of nonsensical imagery," She repeated. "My brains private rendition of…this." Her arm swept across the expanse of the city, eyes keeping track on the pages as the faint grin that had formed was lost from her face.

"So, uh," Robin continued. "What are you doing up here?"

She shrugged, her knees pulling up to her chin while her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her face stared across the bridge already heavy with morning traffic, the sounds of the many tires rolling over the uneven asphalt reaching across the waters softly. "What about you?"

He shrugged himself. "I come up sometimes. Everyone just tends to gravitate here I guess." Suddenly remembering his manners his mother had long ago taught him regarding sharing, Robin picked up the plate, swinging it in her direction. "Want half?"

Her left arm crossed over after a moment, plucking the diagonal slice off the plate. Peeking discreetly between the slices for the contents, she took her first bite of food since arriving. "Thanks," She said softly, and Robin nodded his acknowledgement.

"So uh, Antimatter…"

Her head turned at him slowly into the crook of her arm, her storm blue eyes peeking up from underneath their lashes, but Robin could tell she was concealing a smile. "I was being difficult."

Robin chuckled lightly. "Why?"

She shrugged again, her face turning back away, but revealed no smile. "A shrink may choose to call it a coping mechanism." Suddenly the book was held out in front of him for him to take, her finger pointed to a particular line. "I originally got it from this. It starts here."

He set the sandwich plate aside and took the book from her offering grasp, beginning to read while his brain highlighted the key points.

"You've lectured on it yourself, director. The universe contains two kinds of matter. Scientific fact…. One matter is the kind we see here on earth, making up rocks, trees, people. The other is its inverse - identical to matter in all respects except that the charges of its particles are reversed…. If antimatter and matter come in contact, both are destroyed instantly. Physicists call the process 'annihilation.'…. A thousand times more powerful than nuclear energy."

He flipped the book over to its cover, reading the title. "Angels and Demons," He read aloud, handing the book back. "Interesting title."

The book was closed and set to the side. "I started reading a few years back, never finished. Threw in my bag on a whim." She paused. "Now seemed the perfect time." The conversation tapered off, falling into silence.

The morning sun had risen well by now, casting her red, curl accented waves into an orange glow which Robin metaphorically equated as being that of a fiery demon, licking into flames as the breeze blew it across her face and shoulders until it burn down into the embers of black beneath, melding into the black leather jacket over her shoulders. A black shirt peeked from the bottom of the jacket, transitioning into dark grey jeans secured by a black leather belt with simple detailing. A pair of biker boots reached above her ankles, branded on the side by Harley Davidson and looking decently worn. Robin could tell by the thin metal strip at the top that they were steel toed.

"Is now a good time?" she asked, suddenly breaking the silence in danger of becoming awkward.

"For what?" Robin asked in return, unsure to what she was referring.

"Slade. You said you would explain it later. It's later." But his voice never broke the following silence as she had expected.

"You don't have anything to say?" She asked softly, her gaze refusing to part with the bridge though her eyes flicked to his side.

"He's…the bad guy…" Though Robin deemed the term 'bad guy' didn't come close to cutting it. "The most elusive. He's smart, and destructive and… Has a habit for recruiting teenagers as apprentices. You need to stay away from him." It was Robin's turn to receive silence where he had expected her interjection. "He's a manipulator," He finished, detecting an edge to his own voice.

"Yes," She stated, catching him by surprise. "That he did seem to be." The area fell into another silence as Robin stared at her silently from the corners of his vision, evaluating.

"All these masks…" She began, again breaking the silence.

"What?" He asked.

"Speedy, Kid Flash, slade, you, and many others…" Naming off the few she could remember. "It's like a Masquerade."

"It's for identity protection," Robin stated matter of factly, taking one of the last bites of his sandwich and noting she had finished hers.

She turned to stare at him, again half buried in her arm, her eyes containing a teasing gleam. "Hide your face so the world will never find you," She summarized.

Robin scoffed out a small, brief laugh through his mouthful of food. "I've never heard it put quite that way before, but yeah, that's the idea."

"Speaking of the others…" Robin suddenly realized. "How'd you know? All the masks I mean."

Hesitation.

"The internet."

"How?" He asked.

"My laptop."

"Yeah, but our internet has a security key," He said knowingly.

"You uh, " She took a moment to swing her gaze back to the bridge. "left that super computer of yours on. The operating system's set up a lot like windows – developed by a company called Microsoft where I come from," She explained, unsure of the differences the two worlds contained.

"We have that here."

She gave a short nod. "Then long story short, the password was stored under network settings." She turned to face him. "I was surprised actually, everything around here is very…technological, secured." Robin's expression was flat, disapproving or even suspicious perhaps. And suddenly there was the need to explain herself.

"I wasn't snooping, I was just..." She stopped a moment to reassert herself. "I'm sorry, and I apologize, but you can stop looking at me like that. There's nothing you have that I want," She said, trying to reassure him that informational theft- aside from the Wi-Fi password -was the farthest thing from her intent. "You're mad," She half stated and half asked, keeping her gaze averted.

"It's just… Don't do that again. Ask." Truly he was a little miffed at the fact, and he gathered she could tell from her stoic face staring back at the bridge. He looked down at the empty plate as he felt the conversation wearing thin and the mood falling south. He cleared his throat. "We'll probably go out for breakfast again, foods kinda low. You up for it?" He asked.

"Depends." She shrugged.

"On what?" She stood, and Robin realized they were dead even in his 5'5 height, other than perhaps the half on inch he had on her solely do to the way his hair was styled.

"Their fatality rating," She answered.

Robin chuckled as she handed him the plate and he grabbed his unread paper. "Uh, yeah. Well, Mancino's is on the ground floor. I think you should be good."

TTTTTT

For the second day in a row Robin walked through the common room doors surprised, finding Beast Boy sitting at the kitchen island. "Beast Boy, you're up early? Two days in a row?" He asked, Rachelle coming to stand by his side.

"Nooo," Beast Boy moaned, his head plopped vertically on the counter facing the T.V. "Iz Cyborg's faul…" He mumbled.

"Cyborg?" Robin questioned, looking to the man in question already preparing food at the stove.

"Revenge," Cyborg answered. And though he was facing the stove, there was a smile in his tone. "This'll teach him to burn the bacon."

"Dude," Beast Boy protested, his face still smooshed into the counter. "I did not burn your bacon. You burned your bacon," He finished, pointing a lazy finger at his accuser.

"Either way, I'm cooking a proper breakfast of hearty meat and eggs and haven't heard a thing from you yet. It's a nice change."

"I was going to say we go out once everyone got up, but it looks like you found something," Robin said.

"If you can't make something out of nothing, you aren't a true chef," Cyborg said proudly. "Side's, I had a backup box of waffle mix, and a hidden family pack of bacon in the back of the freezer."

"You keep waffle mix in the freezer?" Robin asked.

"My mom used to do it, keeps it fresh. Well good morning little lady," Cyborg greeted with a broad smile as he turned and noticed Robin's accompanied presence. She graced him with a short nod in return, the quiet disposition they had first met seeming to slip into place once more.

"Where'd you guys come from?" Beast Boy asked. In answer Robin stated, "Roof." Making his way around the counter to set down the plate and make a grab for the coffee beans before Cyborg shut the cupboard door completely.

"Well no need to stand around like that, have a seat." Cyborg gestured to the bar stools on either side of Beast Boy and she did as she was told, taking a seat on the round stool to his right. "Breakfast will be ready in a second, and Starfire should be out any minute."

As if rehearsed, Starfire glided through the doors, approximately one inch off the ground before her flight pattern stalled. "Beast Boy, you are up? How wonderful!" She exclaimed, resuming her flight path to a stool at the counter where Cyborg and Robin greeted her with a, 'Hey Star,' and Beast Boy conformed to stretching his arm back behind him for a lazy wave.

"Rachelle," She beamed. "You slept well yes?"

Rachelle shoulders shrugged and lips cracked a light smile.

"Breakfast is ready, Raven coming?" Cyborg asked, his question more direct towards Starfire than anyone else.

"I do not know. She does not usually come out until after meditation, which we were planning to perform together later after breakfast."

Cyborg shrugged. "Well, maybe she'll surprise us. Until then, more food for us." Cyborg picked up a plate piled high with food, handing it to Starfire before picking up a couple more and walking them to the table and setting them down in the center. Robin opened the cupboard doors, pulling down plates for the places and grabbing his mug of brewed coffee.

"Coming?" He asked Rachelle, passing her on route to the table as Beast Boy slid off his own stool.

As they sat down Beast Boy began sniffing, popping his eyes fully open at his alarm. "Where's the tofu?! It's all meat and eggs! Live eggs!" He exclaimed as he pushed his empty plate away simply to make a statement.

"Well they ain't alive anymore, never were actually. And man, I ain't makin' any of that nasty soy stuff! You want it you can do it yourself. Sides', this is what you call a healthy, hearty breakfast!" Cyborg combated with equal excitement, roaming his eyes over the plates massed with scrambled eggs, bacon, and waffles with greedy contemplation.

Rachelle leaned slightly in towards Robin. "Is this common?" She whispered, recalling how the morning before had held a similar start.

"Every morning." He seemed to groan as he said it, then raised his voice to be heard. "Look Beast Boy, there's waffles. Just, eat those." Beast Boy sat back and scoffed, reaching for a waffle with his fingers.

"Nobody takes my needs seriously around here," He stated, pouting as he poured syrup on his plate for waffle dipping purposes.

"Go ahead," Robin said. "help yourself." He motioned with a small nod of his head.

"You...already fed me."

"That? That was a snack. Half a snack," Robin corrected.

"That was breakfast."

"Then it was half a breakfast," Robin resolved.

"Half a snack could never be breakfast. Which is why I need something more than waffles!" Beast Boy piped in as a sarcastic last attempt at getting his problem resolved.

"Perhaps for you," Rachelle stated, ignoring Beast Boy's comment just as everyone else did. "But I highly doubt you and I share the same daily activities. Vaulting off buildings, for example."

He shrugged a shoulder as he salted his eggs, suppressing a smirk. "Whatever you want I guess."

Most of the conversation held at the table involved discussions she had no relation too. Tofu and video games for example. Before she knew it she had lost herself in the labyrinth of her own thoughts, time had passed quickly, and suddenly Robin was indicating his desire to stand. She slid herself out of the booth for him to exit, sitting back on the edge as she watched him set his plate in the sink. A small throw back to the night before until he began walking away towards the double doors leading out of the room.

"Where are you going?" She asked, causing him to halt and turn in between the doors that had flung themselves to the side at his presence.

"My office. I have work to do," He answered, somewhat curtly as he continued on his way.

"You'll get used to it," Came Cyborgs voice. She looked up to find him smiling knowingly behind his generously sized glass of orange juice, chuckling lightly. "We all did."

"Yeah, and it's still annoying," Best Boy said. But the only thing she found herself thinking, was if they anticipated on her staying that long.

Starfire floated off the seat with her plate, heading towards the sink, turning back once the dishes were in place. "I am to meditate with Raven for the girl time now. Perhaps, Rachelle, you would like to join us? You are most welcome too, I am sure Raven would not mind." She smiled.

"Perhaps another time," She declined.

"You are most sure?" Starfire asked. Rachelle nodded. "Very well, I shall see you all later, friends."

A rythmatic beeping began and Cyborg looked to his arm. "Finally, my baby's parts are in. It's about time!" He exclaimed happily, standing and gathered his dishes before stopping as he realized something. "Uh, you two wouldn't mind keeping each other company while I go pick them up from the shop would you?"

"Not at all," Beast Boy said, plan already mapped in his mind.

TTTTTT

"-ay?"

"Hm?" Her head shot to the side from where she was sitting on the noir, canvas couch she had been led to not moments before.

"I said do you wanna play. You know, video games?" There was hope in his eyes as a dark blue controller dangled limp and helpless, swinging back and forth from the cord held in his hand as it tried desperately to be tantalizing. It Beast Boy's opportune chance to set Cyborg straight on the question of his video gaming skills.

Her porcelain hand reached out to pluck it from his grasp. "So then, is this Mega Monkey 4, or Turbo Speed 6?"

"Pfff, Cyborg doesn't even know what he's talking about, Turbo Speed 6 is old news. This is Turbo Speed 7, brand new!" Beast Boy exclaimed, hoping his excitement was contagious. Her face remained neutral. "Have you played any of the Turbo Speed's before?" He asked.

"No. But I play Xbox."

"Alrighty then, let's play!" Car color and specs were chosen and customized before heading to the digital raceway where the competition was quickly underway. To his complete joy, Beast Boy took the first round. The second and third by close call, were claimed by his newest gaming companion, and by the fourth round Rachelle had to wonder why Cyborg had made him out to be less than sufficient at video gaming. Unless she herself were worse than previously thought – and she hoped this wasn't the case. Her slim black car crossed the finish line, a millimeter ahead of its dark green competition.

"Noooooo," Beast Boy wailed, jumping to stand as if it would it would push his car to move any faster. He plopped back down to his seating as the scores popped upon the screen. "So close…" He whimpered, and after a moment of thought he stated, "I'm changing my car."

Rachelle stood, dropping the remote to the black cushion as Beast Boy began enhancing a newly bought race car with his acquired, virtual prize money. She walked forward, advancing up the stairs on the side of the computer console and stopped in front of the large window. "It's close to here. Isn't it?" Her voice suddenly asked.

"What is?" Beast Boy questioned, to engrossed to part his concentration from the game as his thumbs clicked the buttons.

"The warehouse," She clarified.

"Oh that thing? Yeah, not too far."

Her fingertips came up to caress the surface of the window, pressing down until her palm and the glass met. "Where?" She asked.

Beast Boy looked up briefly. "Behind the big white building with the top like a pointy needle. It has a buncha old buildings an stuff. Why?" He asked.

She shrugged, finding the building with its needle point with a sweep across the city and turned to walk back down. "Conversation."

Beast Boy could see her standing at the side of the couch from the corners of his eye but was paying little attention to her presence because he was captivated by his finished product, a high speed, sleek, green beauty with black pinstripes and a leather interior. The only thing his mustang lacked was an upgrade to the handling, which still required more funds.

"Hey how much money did you win? I'll race you for…it…" He looked around, but found himself to be alone. Twisting his torso around the back of the couch and then back again, he switched the game mode to solo race for a test drive.

TTTTTT

A long walk, a very long, damp walk from another swim across the bay was what it had taken to get to the area in question; an old district which had proved reasonably easy to find with Beast Boy's simple instruction. Past a certain point the city had simply seemed to drop off into what may have once been the heart of the city in its younger days. Billboards, building murals, and stray pieces of paper still tried to represent the old structures glory days.

Finding the exact building proved slightly more difficult than finding the district itself, and she wondered how long she would have to comb the haunting maze of abandoned buildings before she were to locate it. But before long, one in particular boldly stood apart from the rest, missing the entire far left corner.

The remaining structure of the building was severely compromised, not by age, but by the aftermath of an explosion. Finding an easy admission to the insides of the property proved only slightly more difficult than simply walking through a nonexistent door, and required climbing up a hill constructed of concrete rubble to reach its inner sanctum. The far right corner still existed as a whole, its walls and ceiling protruding a fair distance before the damage set in, holding part of a balcony before it too crumbled off into rubble to form the compromised metal skeleton of a large building, the sky visible by turning ones head toward the heavens.

The faint smell of stale dust and burnt electrical assaulted her nose as she continued to walk across the less than stable ground littered with debris. Making her way to a larger and more prominent, wrecked, and tilted structure set within the middle of the dismantled scene. The large mechanical device let her know without a doubt this was the place she was looking for.

A sound, light and ambient rung throughout the air, so light one had to wonder if its presence were genuine. Its source undetectable as the pitch wavered through the room. But with each step towards the defeated structure, the more noticeable it became. She found herself walking up the red painted stairs to the consoles platform where she found herself then standing before a blackened panel, explosion streaks stretching out from a metal staff embedded within. She slid her hand down exterior, still smooth despite the micro scratches marring the surface before wrapping both hands around its circumference and bracing a foot against the panel, pulling it free with a screech of metal. Her thumb caught a small imperfection in the metal as she examined it. With a purposeful manipulation of what she deemed was a small lever, the staff shrank down, jerking in her hand as its weight dispersal changed and it's segments slammed down. Her finger skimmed lightly over the lever again before shoving the shrunken staff beside the phone in her back pocket.

Now within closer proximity, the sound had become clearer, and she realized as she looked up, that the source was hung between two slanting spires previously obscured by the angle and height of the machine. A translucent sphere hovered, suspended, like water rippling with waves of transparent, opaque colors, and emitting a thrumming pitch so high it almost seemed inaudible, akin to that of a wavering dog whistle.

She had heard the sound before. Deep in a dream, that was in fact not a dream, two nights previous.

Stepping up on the dysfunctional console to grab the right spire, her body hoisted itself up to it with her arms, its prominent slant making it easier for her to crawl up its metal shaft. It groaned under her shifting weight, causing her to momentarily freeze for the fear of falling, then promptly continued on her way until she were close enough it could be touch should she lean forward. Through the orb the world was a distorted image where every so often, a ripple would appear to imitate the appearance of her home world. Several more ripples ran across, their surfaces acting as a transparent mirror, throwing her image back at her, and allowing her to understand what Robin had meant by his statement of different.

Her fingers slid gently across her cheek bone as she touched her face. A slightly more prominent facial shape, deeper shadows and highlights as the light caught the vaguely more prominent angles in bone structure than the others possessed. But the eyes were what held the most difference within the small details of their construction; trivial curves, turns. All minute details that on their own could not be detected, but as a whole left the mind to ponder its distinction. An appearance, she wondered, that was caught between worlds.

Her head cocked lightly as her quizzical thoughts were pushed against her mind. Before long her hand began to extend, reaching towards the mysterious orb in unbridled curiosity until she felt a tingle run down her shoulder and through to her fingertips. She paused, judging the new found sensation before continuing on until a golden line of electricity strung a path between tips of her fingers and the orb. Freezing, she waiting for something unsuspecting to happen, to become electrocuted, or for the orb to explode or disappear.

Her body jolted as her phone began its signature jingle she rarely heard. She fumbled for the device in her lap, staring at it long and hard before her brain registered that if she didn't answer it quick, the call would be lost.

"Kellso?" she answered, using the nickname she had knighted her friend not long after their acquaintance.

"Where are you?" The voice accused.

"Where am I?" Rachelle repeated, a dazed air in her tone. "Where are _you_?"

"At the plane. And my mom's getting mad that you left, so please hurry."

"Are you- You're _still_ at the airport?"

"Yeah… Why? You need hurry, there holding the door for you." He voice lowered in tone. "And the Woman looks like a witch if you know what I mean. Where are you?"

"The fifth dimension." She answered as she sat straighter, adding some humor on her part.

There was a lengthy pause before her friend asked, "I don't get it. Why are you talking like this?"

"Look," She sighed. "You're going to have to keep a very…opened mind-"

"What are you doing here?" She both inhaled sharply and jolted simultaneously as a strong male voice broke her conversation across the way, the phone slipping from her grasp. Within a split second she found herself viewing the dismantled room upside down, her legs still wrapped around the metal shaft, the phone caught between her hand as its decent was abruptly halted. Eyes scanned the room, alighting on an upturned figure standing at the thresh hold of the building. The phone in her hand beeped to indicate it was out of service range and the call had been lost.

"Oh, you. Nothing," She replied, turning her gaze away from him to swing her torso up to upright her position.

Robin walked forward, making his way to the broken machine. "The building's not too sturdy you know." As if to make his point, braces and joints shifted and creaked eerily, dropping a pile of dust from the ceiling.

"Yes, I did."

"And you still just, walk in?"

"I was still curious."

"Curiosity _killed_ the cat."

"I'm not a cat."

He let the smallest of smirks appear as he stood on the machine at the base of the spire.

"I thought you were working in your office?"

Robin shrugged. If he had had any pockets he would have shoved his hands in them, instead he settled for crossing his arms. "You went missing." He took a step closer, a suspicious tone to his face. "So, what are you doing here, really?"

"Looking."

"For what?"

"Just...looking," She insisted, pushing her phone out closer to the transparent sphere Robin had not yet seemed to notice.

"What are you doing?" He paused when his eyes caught the rippling distortion suspended in the air. "What is that? He asked, holding his gaze on the suspended ripple effect. Her hand pulled a lazy motion for him to come closer. Planting his feet where they had landed the night before, he pulled himself up on the second spire which had been bent at its base to form a closer connection between the two. Unlike her, Robin did not crawl but rather walked up the shaft with the grace of a practiced tight rope walker. As far up as she, he crouched to his knees, securing his legs around it as he sat.

"I get a signal when it gets close enough." She demonstrated by holding the bottom of the phone, shoving it forward just close enough till the signal bars reappeared, receiving an onslaught of three text messages, the signal disappearing as it was pulled back. "Until you pull away."

"Ok," He said, as if he were expecting more.

Unfinished with her demonstration, she shoved her own hand toward the sphere.

"I wouldn't do that," Robin warned. She ignored him, continuing to reach until the strings of electricity began before she stopped.

"It tingles. Doesn't hurt," She stated.

Robin scooched forward, tentatively reaching out his own hand till it hovered by hers. To his surprise, nothing happened. He pulled back, pulling off his glove before reaching to the distortion once more.

Beneath the gloves his hands had scares, small white lines and crisscrosses across his knuckles and fingers. But the other thing Rachelle noticed was the lack of electrical activity she herself was receiving. His brows pulled together as he flexed his hand waiting for the same phenomenon to appear. He looked to his right, watching her fingers curl and hand twist as she watched the lightning dance with every shift she made, her face wrought with a focused fascination.

A second latter he watched her hand move closer, and he yelled out "Don't-" as she reached out and her hand entered the field, transform before both their eyes into a texture he had never seen.

"This is it," She breathed, fascinated and frozen at the change as her hand had once more taken on its true form. "This is what it's supposed to look like. What everything is supposed to look like."

"I've…I've never seen anything like it."

She glanced at him, reveling in the amazement on his face as he took in the sight for the first time until his face clouded over. "Rachelle-!" She whipped her head back, horrified as it appeared her skin had been peeled away, so shocked she found herself unable to pull her hand away as the muscle beneath began to disintegrate, revealing the nerve and bone structure. She gasped loudly, a muffled shriek caught between her lips as she yanked it away swiftly, clenching it protectively around her stomach. Robin immediately leaned over to pull it from her grasp with his gloved hand, pushing the gory image from his mind.

"It's… It's fine," He said upon discovery, inspecting the restored flesh with a scrutinizing gaze, looking for any molecule out of place as she flexed it in his grasp, shallow breathes exiting her lungs. "Does it hurt, are you ok?" He looked up, and she shook her head. "No it doesn't hurt, or no you're not ok?"

She swallowed, her voice even as she pulled it back into her grasp to massage the skin. "No, it doesn't hurt."

"Lets, not do that again," He said, and she looked at him, her stunned eyes beginning to return to their normal size.

"What, you mean you didn't want to try it?"

"After that? No thank you. I can't believe you even did that. Cyborg needs to see this thing," He said.

"What do you think 'it' is?" She asked.

"I don't know," He replied, beginning to slide back down to the console as the metal creaked. He stopped, waited for the metal to settle then continued. With another creak and a shift the spire split at the base, falling towards the ground, groaning with a tear of metal. By the time Robin was ready to launch himself off, the tip of the spire had already completed its relatively short fall, the tip hitting the ground with force and throwing off his balance for a slightly less than graceful landing than he would have liked, the orb disappearing with the loss of connection.

"Are you ok?" her voice called from the remaining spire above him.

He corrected his stance. "Fine. So much for that," He muttered, referring to empty space the orb previously inhabited.

With that assurance, small dark laughter began as her leg swung around, sliding her body from her own spire so she was hanging from her arms from which she dropped. Her boots hit the ground a little too hard as she landed in a crouch, sending compressed pain through her ankles. "You had much more finesse yesterday."

"I do better with heights."

"Mmm," She hummed.

Robin stared back up at the empty space, contemplating what it could have been. An energy field, or perhaps a portal maybe? He'd never heard of any portal that dissected human anatomy. But perhaps Raven would know the answer to that. He turned to exit the building until he realized he wasn't being followed by the absence of rubble crunching under foot. He found her still rooted in place as he turned back to look, her face slowly passing over the grander of destruction. "Are you coming?" He asked from the outer threshold of the building.

"In just a minute," She replied, disappearing behind the machine.

Kicking around the rubble she searched for her desired possession, the partial reason for coming to the building in the first place. Somehow in her head, finding it hadn't seemed like such a long shot. But now, staring at the intensity of the rubble and debris, she half wondered why she was taking the time to search at all. Which was why it was such a shock to actually see the black, dust powered strap that she took a moment just to stare before shoving away the slab of ceiling from where it kept it pinned against a panel of the red machine. She lifted the leather bag away, kneeling to one knee as she brushed the sooty dust away with quick strokes of love and care before stealing a quick, detached glance at the panel with a flit of her eyes. A brief glance of light warranted her brain to take another glance as her hand stopped brushing at the material.

A soft, light glow burn at the seams of the panel door that, without the weight of the concrete slab, had pushed open due to a crushed-in hinge. Her fingers grabbed at the edge, pulling it open with a soft creak at the resistance. Beyond the door held the guts of the machine, smelling heavily of burning wires still humming with the current of electricity. Inside the components lay something just as perplexing as the rippling orb. Or rather it balanced on a needle point tip as it rotated in a slow, circular motion, displaying itself attractively. On either side two prongs, looking very similar to the two spires on the outside of the machine, seemed to hold the object atop of its point while refraining from actually touching it. The 'object' was a black octagonal disk, smaller than the palm of her hand with a matching octagonal hole in the center where a thin, clear crystal spear seemed to be impaled through from the top, and was the source of the glow.

Her hand reached out to grab the disk, quickly retracting with a memory of the orb. She thought for a moment, picking up a fair sized stone and tossing it at the disk, satisfied when the force threw off the delicate balance and sent it clattering to the metal floor, killing the light to the soft incandescent glow. The electric hum increased a moment as a surge ran through the pointed pedestal with several pops, and was then silent. Rachelle picked it from the floor, turning it in her hand and running her fingers along circular grooves split into pieces and aligned out of sync in the onyx like surface, where beneath it a silver plating seemed to reside.

"Are you coming?" Robin's voice startled her as he called through the building. Hand tightening around the disk as she rose from her crouch, she shoved it into the front right pocket of her dark jeans, moving back towards the buildings point of entrance.

Robin was seated on a streamline sports cycle, its red, black design and 'R' insignia coordinating with his vibrant uniform. He noted the bag slung over her shoulder with a nod of his head. "Is that why you were here?"

"Yes." She stopped just short of the bike, thumb hooked in her pocket. "We get to ride this?" She asked, gesturing with her head.

"Yes," He answered.

A sly smile threatened to pull across her face. "My mother would not be pleased with you right now," She said as she mounted the bike's extended seat and the shocks shifted, hunching down with her added weight before lifting back up.

"Doesn't like these things huh?" He said, humor in his tone.

"She begrudgingly said yes. _Very_ begrudgingly. And as for acquiring one, it's completely up to me," She stated, placing her slender hands gently upon his waist.

He caught her off guard when he grabbed her wrists, pulling her arms around him fully while stating, "You're going to want to hold on tighter than that."

She looked up. "Are we planning on going fast?"

"Well," He grinned, turning the key and the engine ignited with a deep rumble. "That's what it's built for."

* * *

><p>I'm going to say it. I have to say it.<p>

Review?


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